CLEVELAND — The American Red Cross, the Cleveland Clinic and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse are preparing to hold a blood drive this Friday, March 27th from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Given that a large number of regular blood donors have cancelled their blood donating appointments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage. In fact, through March 23rd, over 7,000 blood drives have been cancelled resulting in over 200,000 fewer blood donations….including 20,000 fewer donations in Ohio.
How to donate:
You can download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) for more information and to schedule an appointment.
Make sure to bring your blood donor card, or driver’s license, or two forms of identification at check-in. All blood types are needed. Donors need to be 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds and in good health. Gay men who have been sexually active in the past 12 months are still not allowed to donate blood at this time.
The American Red Cross is taking extra precautions during this crisis to keep you safe while you’re donating blood, including:
- Wearing gloves and changing them often
- Wiping down donor-touched areas after every collection
- Using sterile collection sets for every donation
- Preparing the arm for donation with aseptic scrub
- Conducting donor mini-physicals to ensure donors are healthy and well on day of donation
- Enhanced disinfecting of equipment
- Providing hand sanitizer for use before entering and throughout the donation appointment
- Temperature checks before presenting donors enter the blood drive or donation center
- Spacing beds, where possible, to follow social distancing practices between donors
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood, teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.
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