The American Red Cross saw a dip in the number of blood drives held during the beginning of July and it has prompted them to issue an urgent call for eligible donors of all blood types.
According to a press release, the Red Cross delivers blood donations to 80 hospitals across the Indiana-Ohio Blood Services region and needs an average of 500 blood donations each day to support patient needs.
One way you can directly make a difference is by hosting a blood drive of your own! When businesses and community organizations host a blood drive they are responsible for three things; a location, volunteers and donors.
To host a drive, you would need to have a location with enough space to ensure donor privacy. Your organization’s volunteers would need to help out with recruiting, scheduling and supporting donors during the process. And last but certainly not least, as a host, you would need to ensure your drive has as many donors as possible. Click the following link for more info on How to Host a Blood Drive.
You can also help by donating blood when a drive is held near you. If you visit redcrossblood.org, you can utilize their “Find a Drive” feature to locate a drive that is near your residence or place of work. It even gives you the option to schedule your appointment online during the time that works best for you.
