BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//jEvents 2.0 for Joomla//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20201101T010000 RDATE:20210314T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:America/Chicago CST END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20200919T000000 RDATE:20201101T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:America/Chicago CDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6d80b08c9a0c4b151ee9645236521a43 CATEGORIES:Community Calendar SUMMARY:Red Cross Blood Drives DESCRIPTION;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:
Red Cross initiative aims to increase blo od availability for patients with sickle cell disease
Blood transfusions from donors who are Black may provid e best outcomes for patients
Upcoming Red Cross blood donation opportunities Sept. 16-30:
9/16: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., Mulberry Grove Communit y Building, 100 E Maple Street
9/20: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., North Clay Elementary, Route 45 South, Loui sville
9/20: 3 p.m. - 7 p.m., Vandalia Elementary School, 1017 West Fletcher
9/21: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Effingham Event Center, 150 1 West Fayette
9/24: 1 1 a.m. - 5 p.m., Altamont High School, 7 South Ewing
< span style="font-weight: 400;">9/28: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., Brownstown Elementary School, 1708N 1550 Street
9/29: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Greenup Village Municipal Building, 115 East C umberland Street
9/29: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., Full Armor Christian Academy, 600 Erwin Street, Louisville
When patients living with sickle cel l disease face a sickle cell crisis, blood transfusions can make a lifesavi ng difference. That’s why the American Red Cross has launched an initiative to grow the number of blood donors who are Black to help patients with sickle cell disease, an enduring and often invisible health disparity in th e U.S.
Over 100,000 people in the U.S. have sickle cell disease, the most common inherited blood disorde r, and the majority of patients are of African descent. Despite the discove ry of the disease more than a century ago, there have been fewer health res ources available to help those currently suffering from sickle cell crisis in comparison to similar diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Con trol and Prevention, people with sickle cell disease experience worse healt h outcomes than comparable diseases.
A closer blood ma tch leads to better outcomes
Many patients with sickle cell disease will require regular blood transfus ions to help manage their disease. U nfortunately, these patients may develop an immune response against blood f rom donors that is not closely matched to their own. Many individuals who a re Black have distinct markers on their red blood cells that make their don ations ideal for helping patients with sickle cell disease. More than half of blood donors who are Black have blood that is free of C, E and K antigens – making them the best match for those with sickle cell di sease.
The Re
d Cross asks members of the Black community to join in helping to address t
his health disparity and meet the needs of patients with sickle cell diseas
e. Donors can take action today by scheduling a blood donation appointment
at
Life-threatening complications
Sickle cell disease distort s soft, round blood cells and turns them hard and crescent-shaped, which ca n cause extreme pain. When hardened, the cells can get caught in blood vess els, potentially leading to stroke and organ failure.
“Transfusions provide healthy blood cells, unblock ing blood vessels and delivering oxygen,” said Dr. Emily Coberly, Red Cross of Missouri-Arkansas Medical Director “By increasing the amount of closel y matched blood products, the Red Cross is able to help ensure the right bl ood product is available at the right time for patients facing a sickle cel l crisis – minimizing complications for those with rare blood types fightin g sickle cell disease.”
Community partners lending sup port
Partnerships with national and local organizations within t he Black community are critical to building trust, sharing information and working together to engage new donors to help save lives. Nationally, the R ed Cross is thrilled to announce new partnerships with preeminent organizat ions like the NAACP and 100 Black Men of America, Inc. to raise awareness a bout sickle cell disease as a persisting and heartbreaking health disparity , and to help patients with sickle cell disease by encouraging blood donati ons from individuals who are Black.
Blood drive safet y
Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – i ncluding face masks for donors and staff, regardless of vaccination status – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendan ce. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the dr ive.
Health insights for donors
At a time when health information has never been m ore important, the Red Cross is screening all blood, platelet and plasma do nations from self-identified African American donors for the sickle cell tr ait. 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-negati ve blood. Blood transfusion is an essential treatment for those with sickle cell disease, and blood donations from individuals of the same race, ethni city and blood type have a unique ability to help patients fighting sickle cell disease.
Donors can ex pect 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.
How to donate blood
Simply download the American Re d Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Bl ood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for pa tients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identi fication are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in m ost 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 a lso have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® span> to complete their pre-donation readin g and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, be fore arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions a t RedCrossBlood.org/Rap idPass or use the Blood Donor Ap p.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provide s comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood ; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian ai d; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cros s is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the gener osity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or vi sit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
DTSTAMP:20240328T040630Z DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago;VALUE=DATE:20210916 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago;VALUE=DATE:20210918 SEQUENCE:0 RRULE:FREQ=DAILY;COUNT=4;INTERVAL=4 TRANSP:OPAQUE END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR