The Need for Blood Donors is Constant – Especially During the Pandemic
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit early this year, life as we knew it changed. Our schedules were disrupted. Schools went from in-person to virtual. Businesses shut down and some closed permanently. And hundreds of blood drives were cancelled by sponsors who no longer had venues available.
One thing that has not been affected by the pandemic is the need for blood donors. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Blood and platelet donations can save the lives of trauma victims, cancer patients and others with serious medical conditions. That is why it is critically important for those in our community who are eligible to donate blood to make their life-saving appointment today.
The U.S. Surgeon General and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated blood donation as an essential activity.
If you are concerned about the safety of blood donation during the pandemic, please rest assured that Vitalant donation centers and blood drives continue to deploy strict precautionary measures to ensure the safety of donors, patients and staff, including:
• Taking donors’ temperatures upon check-in
• Vitalant donor care staff self-monitor their temperatures
• Requiring face masks or cloth-based face coverings for donors as well as staff
• Disinfecting donor-touched and other high-touch areas often and after every donation
• Ensuring social distancing to keep donors and staff safe
Approximately 600 blood donations of all types are needed every day to provide area hospitals with the blood they need for their patients. Coupled with pandemic-related closures that are anticipated to continue through the winter, your help is needed more than ever.
Please make your appointment to donate today. Vitalant offers 10 convenient blood donation locations in the Pittsburgh area, including the South Hills location at The Manor Building, 4701 Baptist Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15227.
For more information about donating blood or hosting a blood drive, please call 877-25-VITAL or visit vitalant.org. If you can’t donate blood, please consider a financial contribution to the Blood Science Center. More information is available at bloodsciencefoundation.org.
Sponsored content brought to you by Vitalant.
For more details about the blood donation process, please visit: https://www.vitalant.org/donate/donate-blood-overview