Organizations partner in first
competition to celebrate the Lady Vols versus the Vanderbilt Commodores to
encourage donation during blood shortage
NASHVILLE,
Tenn., Feb. 4,
2022 – The American Red Cross will compete with MEDIC to host a friendly
competition on Feb. 7 to Feb. 10 in the first “Dunk for Donations” blood drive
event to celebrate the Lady Vols and Vanderbilt Commodores basketball game. The
organization that collects the most amount of red blood donations will be
declared the winner of the competition following the drives.
“For the
past seven months we have seen the blood crisis grow across the United States
and here in Tennessee,” said Clif Redish, Interim Regional Donor Services
Executive for American Red Cross. “We encourage all who can donate to join
forces with both organizations and help us combat this great need for blood.
People’s lives depend on donors who take the time to give such a great gift of
life. We are looking forward to this competition and to the Vanderbilt
University and University of Tennessee women’s basketball game on Feb. 13 in
Knoxville.”
Historically low blood supply levels not seen in more than a
decade persist for the American Red Cross, which supplies about 40% of the
nation’s blood. The
ongoing decline comes at a time of year when donations typically fall.
The American Red Cross continues to face its first-ever
national blood crisis and winter weather across the country has further
complicated efforts to rebuild the blood supply. Donors of all blood types are
urged to make an appointment now to give during the competition and in the
weeks ahead. All who
come to give blood Feb. 1-28, 2022, will
receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card via email, thanks to Amazon, a free coffee
coupon from Dunkin’ and a limited edition “Dunk for Donations” t-shirt (T-shirt
is only for Feb. 7-11 donors). (Terms apply. Visit rcblood.org/together.)
Blood drive safety
Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest
standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including face masks for donors and staff, regardless
of vaccination status – 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.
Save
time during donation
Donors
can also save up to 15 minutes at the blood drive by completing a RapidPass®.
With RapidPass®, donors complete the pre-donation reading and health history
questionnaire online, on the day of donation, from a mobile device or computer.
To complete a RapidPass®, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Red
Cross Blood Donor App.
To
donate blood, individuals need to bring a blood donor card or driver’s license
or two other forms of identification that are required at check-in. Individuals
who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed
by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may
be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of
age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements.
Health insights for donors
At
a time when health information has never been more important, the Red Cross is
screening all blood, platelet and plasma donations from self-identified African
American donors for the sickle cell trait. This additional screening will
provide Black donors with an additional health insight and help the Red Cross
identify compatible blood types more quickly to help patients with sickle cell
disease who require trait-negative blood. Blood transfusion is an essential
treatment for those with sickle cell disease, and blood donations from
individuals of the same race, ethnicity and blood type have a unique ability to
help patients fighting sickle cell disease.
Donors
can expect to receive sickle cell trait screening results, if applicable,
within one to two weeks through the Red Cross Blood Donor App and the online
donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.
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