There are 7 blood drives for Muskegon County in the month of April and May 2023, The American Red Cross is urgently seeking for your help.
DATES
Muskegon Blood Drives:
3/29 Baker College
4/13 The Corner Building - Central United Methodist Church
4/3 Muskegon Community College
4/18 Lakeside Eagles
5/1 Lakeshore Museum Center
North Muskegon Blood Drives:
4/3 Don Rea VFW
5/2 North Muskegon Community United Methodist Church
Norton Shores Blood Drives:
4/14 New Life Community Church
Follow this link to the Red Cross website to make an appointment, or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), use the Red Cross Blood Donor app, by enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.
Diversity IS Welcomed and Encouraged
The most compatible blood match for patients receiving blood transfusions often comes from donors of the same race or similar ethnicity. The more frequently someone receives blood transfusions, the more important a close blood type match becomes. A patient’s immune system will form antibodies against donated blood that does not closely match their own blood type. To help avoid transfusion-related complications, a patient is more likely to find the most compatible blood match from a donor of the same race or similar ethnicity.
The need for blood from donors who are Black is urgent.
While 13% of the U.S. population is Black, less than 3% of Red Cross blood donors self-identify as African American. Right now, there aren’t enough blood donors to meet the urgent need for blood for patients with sickle cell disease.
Is it safe to give blood?
Yes, donating blood is safe. You can’t get AIDS or any other infectious disease from giving blood. The Red Cross always uses new, sterile needles that are discarded after one use. Prior to donating blood, you will receive a free health screening to check temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate and hemoglobin (iron) levels. All blood donations are tested for over 12 infectious diseases.
What happens to my blood after it is collected?
Your donation is processed to establish blood type and tested for infectious diseases. If a test result is positive, your donation will be discarded and you will be notified (our test results are confidential and are only shared with the donor, except as may be required by law). Those units that pass the testing criteria are labeled and stored at a Red Cross facility until we receive an order from the hospital for blood products. We will let you know when your unit has made it to a hospital! You can feel proud knowing you helped save a life.
Click To Enlarge
