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American Red Cross Blood Drive - 4.8.2020
Published on Apr 7, 2020 10:55
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AMERICAN RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE IN GRAND TERRACE
The City of Grand Terrace will be hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive on April 8, 2020 and while most people understand that it’s patriotic to give blood, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused people to ask the question – IS IT SAFE TO GIVE BLOOD? Grand Terrace staff asked the American Red Cross several questions and based on their response, we will continue moving forward with the Blood Drive.
Questions asked of the American Red Cross:
1. Is it safe to give blood during the Coronavirus Pandemic
Sick people have never been allowed to donate blood, and that rule is not changing at this point. I have attached articles from the FDA and CDC that encourages healthy people to donate blood while they can. As COVID-19 spreads throughout the community our donor base is going to shrink, causing another shortage. So, let’s say that I am a healthy donor, but my husband contracts the virus…. I am no longer eligible to donate blood until everyone in the household is clear of symptoms and 28 days has passed.
2. What precautions will the Red Cross take at the Blood Drive to ensure attendants don’t contract COVID-19?
Donor safety is our #1 priority. Red Cross has made several updates to the way we handle blood drives during this time.
- We shut down all Bloodmobiles and are ONLY run inside operations so that we can implement social distancing
- We are no longer accepting walk-ins. We need people to have a scheduled appointment to enforce social distancing
- All donors and staff will have their temperature checked prior to entry
- All donors will be forced to sanitize their hands upon entry
- All donors will be encouraged to use their phone to complete reading material and health exams (Rapid pass)
- We are using more space to between beds and health exams
- We are doing more glove changes and hand sanitation in-between donors
- We are wiping down all equipment including chairs, beds, blood pressure cuffs, etc. in between donors
3. If anyone attends the Blood Drive, won’t they be in violation of Governor Newsom’s Stay at home mandate?
No. Blood donation is an essential operation. In fact most news/media outlets are encouraging healthy people to help out by donating blood. If we do not maintain the blood supply, then we will have BIGGER issues that are non-virus related.
4. Why should anyone attend the blood drive at this time?
Donating blood during this time is seen as a patriotic act. There are cancer patients who receive transfusions multiple times a week. Could you imagine the phone conversation of the hospital telling someone you loved that we cannot help them because people are too afraid to leave their home and donate blood. I know this sounds drastic, but this is a reality for people who are dependent on blood to survive.
The Red Cross has scheduled 35 appointments for Grand Terrace’s Blood Drive. We have 29 scheduled and six more appointments available. Please contact 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule your appointment. You can also schedule an appointment online by visiting www.redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: GRANDTERRACE. Walk-ins are not allowed.
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