Red Cross And Warriors Team Up With Blood Drives Amid Donation Shortage

Blood Donor Giving Blood
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The American Red Cross is in desperate need of blood donations to help those with sickle cell disease, which has driven the organization to team up with the Golden State Warriors to host community blood drives throughout the month of September.

One of the main reasons why blood supply is so low is because there simply not enough people around to donate.

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Rob Finley with the American Red Cross said the organization has lost 50% of its diverse donor base this year, and that it needs more to help those with sickle cell disease.

“There are a lot of antigens that are attached to different blood types and those have to pretty much match for a person in need to use that blood,” Finley said. “So if there’s not a match, that’s a problem.”

The Red Cross said it will also test for plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies.

“The COVID antibody testing will happen to the blood donations (anyway),” Finley said. “So a lot of people are interested to know whether they have had COVID, and our technology will tell them that.

The Red Cross now has a partnership with the Warriors to host blood drives this month, wrapping up next Saturday, September 19. All blood types are welcome. To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org.