A heart-felt thank you from we here at iHeartmedia Chillicothe to all those that signed up to take part in our latest iHeartMedia Blood Bash, taking place today at the South-Central Ohio Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The blood bash takes place from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and the local Red Cross Chapter tells us they were able to fill up every time slot for appointments. That’s a total of 36 donors set to give blood at today’s drive.
Jessica Hayden is with Account Management and Donor Recruitment for the Central & Southern Ohio Chapter of the Red Cross. She talks about how those donations are used.
“We service 40 counties," said Hayden. "Within those 40 counties, we service 31 hospitals and trauma centers. The blood donations coming from the donors in our area, go toward the patients within the hospitals and trauma centers, anywhere from cancer patients to patients with Sickle Cell Anemia, as well as trauma patients coming into these hospitals.”
There’s always a critical need for blood donations, but Hayden says that supplies are now at historic lows.
“Donors are urgently needed as the nation returns to holiday celebrations with friends and family," said Hayden. "This year, the American Red Cross is facing historically low blood supply levels that haven’t been seen in more than a decade. So, while people gather this holiday season, the Red Cross urges eligible donors to take the time out to give blood or platelets for those patients in need.”
The next iHeartMedia Blood Bash is set to take place on Sunday, March 6th. If you’d like to donate, you can set an appointment by calling 1-800-Red-Cross, or by logging on to redcrossblood.org. On the Red Cross website, you can also find a list of other local upcoming blood drives.