With the need for blood donors at a critical level, Cranberry Highlands Golf Course will host a blood drive from 1-6:30 PM, Monday, June 29.
The event, held in conjunction with the Cranberry Township Sunrise Rotary, will be staged in the Clubhouse and Tartan Hall at the Golf Course, 5601 Freshcorn Road, Cranberry Township, PA 16066.
Organizers said the drive will help increase regional supplies that have been depleted during the coronavirus pandemic. Hospital demand for blood has grown by 30 percent after sharply declining in early April amid the rapidly changing and complex public health crisis.
“As hospitals resume surgical procedures and patient treatments that were temporarily paused, the Red Cross is in need of healthy donors to support our community blood drives in order to avoid a blood shortage this summer,” said Barb Kimbell, account manager for American Red Cross Donor Services in Beaver, Lawrence, Mercer, Butler, and parts of Clarion counties.
- To promote social distancing, all donors must have an appointment, and must wear a mask. Only donors are permitted in the blood drive area.
- Those with recent tattoos, piercings or travel to a malarial area are under a 3-month deferral. Previously, it was a 1-year deferral. Those who were deferred for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the past will now be eligible to donate. This was previously a lifetime deferral.
- All donors will be eligible for a $5 Amazon Gift card via email courtesy of Amazon.
For more information or to register, visit redcrossblood.org and enter CHGC or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
Changes in Donor Eligibility Requirements taking effect June 8. Changes in eligibility that will affect new and previously deferred donors include:
- Reduced deferral periods for transmission risks associated with the FDA HIV policy from 12 months to 3 months.
- Reduced deferral periods for those with recent tattoos and piercings done in non-regulated states (PA) from 12 months to 3 months.
- Change in deferral period for travel to malaria-endemic areas from 12 months to 3 months.
- Simplified deferrals for individuals previously considered to have been exposed to a potential risk of transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease or Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
Donors who have previously been deferred for any of the reasons above should contact Donor and Client Support Center at 1-866-236-3276 for more specific information about their donor eligibility, or to request to update their donor record prior to their summer donation. Deferral status cannot be removed or changed onsite at our blood drives, so making this call ahead of time is important.
Covid 19 Antibody Testing taking effect June 15 Beginning June 15, all blood, platelet and plasma donors will be tested for the presence of Covid 19 antibodies. It’s important to emphasize that this is not a diagnostic test. To protect the health and safety of our employees, volunteers and donors, individuals who do not feel well should continue to postpone donation. The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness.
The test we perform will provide our valued donors with insight into whether they may have been exposed to this COVID 19 virus. Red Cross donors can expect to receive the results of their antibody test within 7 to 10 days through our Red Cross Blood Donor App or on our donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org