Life & Health: Donating Blood with the Red Cross
By: Laura Hartog
Updated: November 8, 2012
Hurricane Sandy hit our shores last week and a Nor'easter is impacting the East Coast this week. The American Red Cross has prepared for the new storm at the same time that relief effort for Superstorm Sandy is underway. The Red Cross is prepared to help meet the blood needs of any affected areas.
More than 380 Red Cross blood drives in 13 states and Washington, DC were canceled as a result of Sandy, resulting in a shortfall of more than 12,800 units of blood and platelets.
Every two seconds someone in the United States uses blood. Blood drives help the Red Cross maintain sufficient blood to meet patient needs. While storms continue to affect the number of people available to donate, hospital patients still need blood and platelets while recovery is underway.
Visit redcrossblood.org or call 1.800. RED CROSS and schedule your appointment today! To be eligible to donate, you must be 16 years old (with parental consent), meet certain height and weight requirements and be in generally good health.
Mount Nittany Medical Center has been a long-time host of American Red Cross blood drives. In fact, the center holds six blood drives a year, averaging 120 units of blood per year.
