American Red Cross encourages adding blood donation to vacation to-do lists

Send a link to a friend  Share

[June 02, 2015]  There are 100 days of summer and the American Red Cross urges eligible donors to choose their day to give blood and help ensure a sufficient blood supply.

Summer is a difficult time to collect enough blood to meet patient needs. Nearly 90 percent of donors surveyed this past spring said they planned to take a vacation this summer, potentially making them less available to give. In addition, many schools that host blood drives are out of session during the summer. But the need for blood donations is constant. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.

Donors of all blood types – especially those with types O negative, A negative and B negative – are needed. The Red Cross must collect 15,000 blood donations every day to meet the needs of patients at approximately 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide.

To make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Red Cross donor opportunities in Logan County:

June 17 - Noon to 5 p.m. - Lincoln Park District

June 25 - 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. - Atlanta Community House

[Ben Corey, American Red Cross]

 

Back to top