Linda Shannon-Hills
With the pandemic challenges of keeping everyone safe, we have not been able to hold the Red Cross Blood Drive in the Ranch House Ballrooms. With new safety precautions, SBR will be able to hold the next blood drive on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 7 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. in the SBR Ranch House Sol Ballroom. You must wear a mask and your temperature will be taken before you register.
The need for blood is great and if you can step up to donate, you could be saving the lives of up to three people with your blood donation.
You can also download the Blood Donor app to your phone. It puts the power to save lives in the palm of your hand. You can register to donate, fill out the history questions before you attend by doing the RapidPass on your phone app the day of donation, have your donor card on your phone for faster check in, check on all your donations and your vitals plus follow the path of your blood journey every step of the way to the patient receiving your blood.
All donors will have a COVID-19 Antibody Test done on your blood. If it is found you have had COVID-19, you will be contacted.
Want to save more lives with just one donation? Power Red donations to the Red Cross maximize your blood donations to help more patients. Donate blood, save a life. The usual catch phrase you hear but Power Red donations can help save more patients in one visit: “Power Red is an automated process where donors come to donate. Rather than donating the whole blood they just donate red cells. The way the machine works is it takes out the red cells and puts them in a centrifuge. Takes the red cells out, then puts the plasma and platelets along with some extra fluids back into your body. So that it will replenish the fluids that you just donated. Red cells are the most common transfused blood component. They are used for traumas, emergencies, transplants, and women who are having difficulty giving birth and those who are anemic.”
Not everyone is able to donate, but if you can, please sign up to donate at this blood drive in early December. Log in to donate at www.redcrossblood.org. Go to the Red Cross website to learn more about donating Power Red.
You don’t need a special reason to give blood. You just need your own reason.