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American Red Cross in emergency need of donors

Posted at 11:37 AM, Jul 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-05 14:37:00-04
The American Red Cross has issued an emergency call for blood and platelets, urging all eligible donors to give now to replenish an extremely low summer blood supply.
 
Blood donations have fallen short of hospital needs for the past few months, resulting in about 39,000 fewer donations than what’s needed, as well as a significant draw down of the overall Red Cross blood supply.
 
In addition, the Independence Day holiday may have caused many regular donors to postpone donations due to vacation plans.
 
A recent Red Cross poll revealed that more than 75 percent of donors surveyed indicated vacation plans this summer, many of them occurring the weeks before and after July 4.
 
How to Help
To schedule an appointment to donate, use the free Blood Donor App, click here or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). The Red Cross is extending hours at many donation sites to allow for more donors to make an appointment to give. Donation appointments and completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire are encouraged to avoid longer wait times. Donors with all blood types are needed.
 
Those unable to give can still help by encouraging others to give through a SleevesUp virtualblood drive, giving of their time through volunteerism or making a financial donation to support Red Cross humanitarian work across the country and around the world.
 
Who Blood Donations Help
Every two seconds in the United States blood and platelets are needed to respond to patient emergencies, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant procedures, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross must collect approximately 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. 
 
For more information, click here.