Blood Supply Low: Give Treat of Life during Oct.
By WestKyStar Staff
PADUCAH, KY - A low blood supply is enough to scare anyone. Give a treat this Halloween by donating blood or platelets during the month of October.
The American Red Cross is serious this Halloween – serious about addressing a blood shortage. While there are many ways to create fake blood, there is no substitute for the real thing. Blood and platelets must come from volunteer donors, yet studies show only three in 100 people give blood. The Tennessee Valley Blood Region serves 57 hospitals and must have approximately 600 people donate blood or platelets each weekday to treat hospital patients in our community and across the country.
You can stay one step ahead of the vampires this Halloween by donating whole blood or platelets. Your lifesaving donation is the perfect treat and the best way to scare off a blood shortage.
Visit www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation to make your appointment to donate blood.
Locally, you may give blood throughout the month of October:
October 10
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
West Kentucky Community & Technical College, 4810 Alben Barkley Dr.
October 12
2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Halloween Express 3430 James Sanders Blvd.
October 12
11:45 am - 3:45 pm
Reidland United Methodist Church, 5515 Reidland Dr.
October 14
2:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Lone Oak Church of Christ, 2960 Lone Oak Rd
.
October 18
Noon - 5:00 pm
Wal-Mart, 3220 Irvin Cobb Dr.
October 19
Noon - 5:00 pm
Wal-Mart, 3220 Irvin Cobb Dr.
October 25
Noon - 5:00 pm
St. Francis de Sales, 116 South 6th St.
How to Donate Blood:
Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org for more information or to make an appointment. All blood types are needed to ensure the Red Cross maintains an adequate blood supply. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Donors must be in general good health, weigh at least 110 pounds and be at least 17 years old (16 with completed Parental Consent Form). New height and weight restrictions apply to donors 18 and younger.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies more than 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.