With a severe shortage of blood, the American Red Cross has started a prize giveaway to incentivize donations.
People who donate to the Red Cross in the next few weeks will be automatically entered into a raffle for various prizes including exclusive vacation getaways or a chance to win an Apple Tech Package.
Post lockdown, hospitals have seen a spike in scheduled surgeries, causing the demand for blood to go up during a time usually known as the “summer slow-down.”
“Elective surgeries that were postponed throughout the pandemic are now getting rescheduled,” Justin Mueller of the Red Cross explained. “Oftentimes, those patients are further along in their treatment and actually need more blood products than they would have had they been able to schedule those appointments earlier.”
Folks just need that extra incentive to show up for that donation appointment, said Mueller, whether it's a t-shirt, an Amazon gift card or a chance to win free gas for a year.
“One donation can save up to three lives,” Mueller told KCBS Radio. “A unit of blood can be separated out to the different components, the red cells, the platelets and the plasma in each of those components can be used in a different treatment.”
Currently, people who give blood have the chance to win a free haircut from Sport Clips, a trip to the sold-out Bonnaroo music festival or an Apple Tech Package.
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