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:20201023T000000 RDATE:20201101T010000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:America/Chicago CDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:9347ec460e42128eb89d2f11636f986a CATEGORIES:Community Calendar SUMMARY:Red Cross Blood Drives DESCRIPTION;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:
Red Cross enters third week of emergency bloo d and platelet shortage
< span style="font-size: 12pt;">Donations needed now to help those battling cancer and other serious conditions
Upcoming Red Cross blood donation opportunities Oct.18-29
10/18: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., South Central High School, 800 West Washington, Farina p>
10/18: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., St Elmo High S chool, 300 West 12th Street
10/24: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m., Kinmundy Christian Church, 225 N. Monroe Str eet
10/25: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Effingham County Humane Society, 12073 N 1000th Rd, PIO Box 321
10/25: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., St Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, 112 Embarrass,Sainte Marie
p>
10/26: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., Iuka Fire Prot ection District, 116 South Front Street
10/28: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., Effingham Event Center, 1501 West Fayette
10/29: 12 p.m . - 4 p.m., Family YMCA, 710 Rock Island Ave, Vandalia
The American Red Cross continues to experi ence an emergency blood and platelet shortage that has caused the blood sup ply to drop to the lowest post-summer level in at least six years. < /p>
With less than a day’s sup ply of certain blood types in recent weeks, the Red Cross asks donors of al l blood types – especially type O − to make an appointment to give blood or platelets as soon as possible to ensure patients can receive the lifesaving transfusions they rely on. Appointments can be m ade by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCr ossBlood.org or cal ling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Fall is typically a time when the blood supply rebounds from s ummer blood shortages, but a surge in COVID-19 cases across the U.S. due to the delta variant has contributed to the lowest donor turnout of the year. To shore up inventory, the Red Cross must collect 10,000 additional blood products each week this month to meet hospital and patient needs.
Don ors are asked to make an appointment
All those who come to donate in October will receive a link by em
ail to claim a free Zaxby’s® Sign
ature Sandwich reward or get a $5 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice
.* Plus, all those who come to give Oct. 11-31 will receive a bonus $5 e-gi
ft card to a merchant of their choice.**
Blood donations help those with breast cancer
During Breast Cancer Awareness Mont h in October, the Red Cross is reminding donors of the importance of blood to those undergoing treatment. According to the National Cancer Institute, roughly 1.9 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. this year, and more than 281,000 of those individuals will have breast cancer.
Patients wi th breast cancer and other cancers may need blood products on a regular bas is during chemotherapy, surgery or treatment for complications. In fact, ne arly 25% of the blood supply is used by cancer patients.
Blood drive s afety
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 a nd 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
To donate blood, individuals need to bring a blo od 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 stat es (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 11 0 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 scr eening all blood, platelet and plasma donations from self-identified Africa n American donors for the sickle cell trait. This additional screening will provide Black donors with an additional health insight and help the Red Cr oss identify compatible blood types more quickly to help patients with sick le cell disease who require trait-negative blood. Blood transfusion is an e ssential treatment for those with sickle cell disease, and blood donations from individuals of the same race, ethnicity and blood type have a unique a bility to help patients fighting sickle cell disease.
About the Am erican Red Cross
The America n Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; s upplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; di stributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military m embers and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization t hat depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deli ver its mission. For more information, please visitredcross.orgor cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCros s.
**Terms and conditions apply. Additional information and details
are available at RedC
rossBlood.org/Zaxbys.