Donate with Red Cross to Help Ensure a Diverse Blood Supply

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Sept. 9, 2020) – The American Red Cross needs people of all races and ethnicities to give blood to help ensure a blood supply as diverse as the patients who depend on it.

For a small percentage of the population, finding someone else with the same blood type can be difficult. While the vast majority of people have types A, B, O or AB blood, some blood types are unique to certain racial and ethnic groups, so a diverse blood supply is important to meeting the medical needs of a diverse patient population. Patients who require frequent blood transfusions as part of their treatment, like those with sickle cell disease or other lifelong blood disorders, often need close blood type matches to prevent complications from their transfusion therapy.

All blood types are needed to ensure that the right blood product is available at the right time for all patients.

Make an appointment to donate by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting http://redcrossblood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Blood drives are also essential in helping ensure blood is available for patients this winter. To learn more and sign up to host a blood drive this fall or winter, visit: http://RedCrossBlood.org/HostADrive.

Important COVID-19 information for donors

The Red Cross is testing blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. The test may indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether they developed symptoms. Donors can expect to receive the results of their antibody test within 7 to 10 days through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or the donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.

The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness, referred to as a diagnostic test. To protect the health and safety of Red Cross staff and donors, it is important that individuals who do not feel well or believe they may be ill with COVID-19 postpone donation.

Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including temperature checks, social distancing and face coverings for donors and staff – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive and are required to wear a face covering or mask while at the drive, in alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public guidance.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities Sept. 16-30:

Hardin County

Ada

.9/21/2020: 11:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Visiting Nurses & Hospice, 1200 S. Main St.

Kenton

.9/28/2020: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., Kenton Moose Lodge, 801 W Lima Street

.9/28/2020: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., First Baptist Church, 11543 County Road 175
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Logan County

Bellefontaine

.9/17/2020: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., Union Station, 613 Hamilton Street

.9/21/2020: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., Masonic Lodge – Bellefontaine, 600 N. Main St.
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Marion County

Marion

.9/16/2020: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m., The Alber Red Cross Center, 1849 Summerset Drive

Waldo

.9/26/2020: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 135 W Main St
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Union County

Marysville

.9/16/2020: 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., First UMC, 207 South Court Street

.9/18/2020: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Marysville Public Library, 231 S. Plum St

.9/23/2020: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Union County Family YMCA, 1150 Charles Lane