March 23, 2020 – Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Due to the Coronavirus, a number of blood donation events have been canceled. But the supply is still needed.
The American Red Cross Blood is hosting a blood drive every Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at Decatur’s American Red Cross Chapter on 2674 N. Main St. in Decatur, IL. Healthy individuals are needed to donate now to help patients counting on lifesaving blood. For an appointment, please visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1- 800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
In addition, Community Blood Services of Illinois have two mobile blood drives this week. Mt. Zion Community will host a community blood drive from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm on Thursday, March 26 at Mt. Zion Convention Center, inside Room B. The Decatur Family YMCA will also be hosting a blood drive Wednesday, March 25, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm inside the gym on McKinley Ave. Click HERE to reserve a slot.
You can also contact the Blood Center at 217-241-7550 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 71197 to locate the drive.
FAQ’s from the Macon County Crisis Communication Team:
Q: Public officials are telling people to stay home, but you’re encouraging people to go out to give blood. Why are you contradicting that guidance?
A: Like a hospital, grocery store, or pharmacy, a blood drive is essential to ensuring the health of the community, and the Red Cross will continue to hold blood drives during this challenging time to help meet patient needs. During a crisis, we see the best of humanity when Americans step up and help their neighbors. In the midst of this coronavirus emergency, we are asking people to take this responsibility seriously by practicing social distancing and donating blood. These two activities— which are not mutually exclusive—will go a long way in keeping community members healthy by slowing the spread of the virus and by ensuring that patients across the country receive lifesaving blood. In practice, we recommend people leave home only for necessities—be they health care, groceries, or blood donation. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General has said, “You can still go out and give blood. We’re worried about potential blood shortages in the future. Social distancing does not have to mean social disengagement.” We understand that people have concerns right now about all aspects of public health but want to stress that donating blood is a safe process and people should not hesitate to give. It’s important to note that blood drives have highest standards of safety and infection control—and do not fall in the category of “mass gatherings”. We are also spacing beds, where possible, to follow social distancing practices between blood donors and are looking at staggering donor appointments further apart to reduce the number of people at a drive at any one time.
Q: Is it safe for older people to come out and donate?
A: In many areas of the country, public officials are asking older individuals to limit public interaction as much as possible. We encourage all donors to follow the guidance of their local health officials. Please note, however, that our Red Cross blood drives have the highest standards of safety and infection control – and do not fall in the category of “mass gatherings”. Depending on the severity of the outbreak in a particular community and an older donor’s particular circumstances, some older donors may choose to postpone their donation appointment to a later date.
