SSM Blood Drive May 27 by Appointment ONLY!
We are hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, May 27 from 1:00 – 7:00pm. If you are 18 years old, weighing at least 110 pounds and in good health please consider giving the gift of blood. 1 pint can save up to 3 lives. The Red Cross blood bank desperately needs blood during this time of uncertainty. Please visit the https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/donation-time using Sponsor Code SSMRCC to make an appointment or Call 1-800-733-2767 (RED-CROS) to make an appointment. Due to social distancing, Walk-ins will NOT be accepted. We are also in need of volunteers to set up, work and clean up. Please email Sharon at mvanzandt1@cox.net to sign up or get more information.
Red Cross Donation Safety Protocols
The top priority of the Red Cross is the safety of our donors, volunteers, employees and blood recipients, and we are committed to transparency with the American public during this evolving public health emergency. There are no data or evidence that this coronavirus can be transmissible by blood transfusion, and there have been no reported cases worldwide of transmissions for any respiratory virus including this coronavirus. Donating blood products is essential to community health and eligible donors are strongly urged to donate blood, platelets, or AB Elite plasma. The Red Cross only collects blood from individuals who are healthy and feeling well at the time of donation – and who meet other eligibility requirements. At each blood drive or donation center, Red Cross employees follow thorough safety protocols, including:
• Wearing gloves and changing them often.
• Wiping down donor-touched areas after every collection.
• Using sterile collection sets for every donation.
• Preparing the arm for donation with aseptic scrub.
• Conducting donor mini-physicals to ensure donors are healthy and well on day of donation.
• Enhanced disinfecting.
• Providing hand sanitizer.
• Temperature checks.
• Following social distancing protocols.
• Wearing face masks.
• Blankets typically used by platelet, Power Red and AB Elite donors at Red Cross blood donation centers will be laundered after each use, which may limit the availability. Donors are encouraged to bring their own blankets, but electric blankets and heating pads are not permitted.
• Staff wearing basic face masks.
• For the safety of our donor community and in accordance with CDC guidelines, all donors are required to wear a face covering or mask. Please bring a face covering or mask to your donation. If you do not have one, a mask will be provided to you.
To ensure our staff are healthy each day, we have implemented standard staff health assessments prior to all blood drives.
Finally, only eligible and healthy people are allowed to give blood.
These mitigation measures will help ensure blood recipient safety, as well as staff and donor safety in reducing contact with those who may potentially have this respiratory infection. Book your blood, platelet or AB Elite plasma donation for the weeks ahead to help ensure a sufficient blood supply for patients in need.
Information taken from: https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/coronavirus–covid-19–and-blood-donation.html