In January, American Red Cross officials declared an emergency blood shortage in the U.S., citing a 20-year all-time low in donors.
The Red Cross supplies roughly 40% of the nation’s donated blood and blood components like plasma.
Red Cross officials will host a July 15 blood drive at Charter Oak Church in Hempfield with the goal of collecting a minimum of 190 units of blood.
“Charter Oak Church has been an excellent blood drive partner to the Red Cross since 2007,” said Chestnut Ridge and Allegheny Mountains Chapter Executive Director Tessie Amaranto. “Summer can shake up up normal routines, but blood donation appointments can’t fall off the calendar.”
The July 15 drive will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the church, 449 Frye Farm Road in Hempfield. Donors can make an appointment by calling 800-733-2767, going to RedCrossBlood.org or using the organization’s Donor App.
Red Cross officials said someone in the U.S. needs blood or platelets approximately every 2 seconds, and each day medical patients need 29,000 units of blood, nearly 5,000 units of platelets and 6,500 units of plasma.
