The Daily American Republic, in coordination with the American Red Cross, is bringing the community the opportunity to donate once again at the Poplar Bluff Community Blood Drive.
This will be held from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, at the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce located at 111 W. Pine Blvd.
Christy Pierce, general manager at the Daily American Republic, said the goal for hosting a blood drive for the Red Cross is to bring awareness to the community about the importance of donating blood.
“The DAR is very community-minded, so partnering with the Red Cross is just one way we can help our community,” she said.
Blood donations could be the most meaningful contribution you ever make to society, and as it turns out, they can also have health benefits for the donor, according to the American Red Cross. The Red Cross reports only 3% of those eligible to donate blood choose to do so.
“We are currently in an urgent need and I know people hear us say that all the time,” said Red Cross worker Jerrica Fox. “But if we run below a certain reserve then that’s where they label us urgent or critical. We’re potentially a day away from a disaster or major catastrophe. Of course, we hope that never happens, but it can happen anywhere at any time.” According to the American Heart Association, donating blood can be beneficial to the donor because the donor gets a basic health screening before the donation process, which can potentially diagnose unknown issues such as certain diseases and high blood pressure.
Fox attributes COVID and busy daily lives for the recent blood supply shortage.
“We see right now the highest no-show rate that we’ve seen in probably 10 years. We know life gets busy, they forget or their day changes and they don’t get there like they want to,” she said.
Fox said the Red Cross encourages appointments to cut down on wait time and ensure they have adequate staff, “but we always accept walk-ins.”
The goal for this drive is 30 units, according to Fox, and there are only a few reasons that will prevent one from donating.
“A lot of people think that if they have diabetes or high blood pressure they can’t donate. It’s actually inaccurate. As long as they’re on medication, and test within normal limits during the health history, they can donate,” said Fox.
There is a required health assessment. During the screening, Red Cross workers will check heart rate, blood pressure and iron levels. The blood is also screened later for communicable diseases.
There is a question pertaining to the COVID vaccine.
“It is strictly a question that’s asked because there are a few COVID vaccines that were not FDA approved, mainly for those citizens that moved here from overseas,” Fox said. “If you received Johnson & Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer, there are no issues at all, and if you haven’t received the vaccine, that’s okay too.”
Fox hopes to schedule at least 30 more appointments in the next week.
Donors are encouraged to hydrate well, take an iron supplement or eat foods like fortified cereal if necessary before making a blood donation. Anyone interested in finding an alternate date, time or location to donate can go to redcrossblood.org and type in their zip code in the top right corner to find the nearest location.
“That’s even in areas such as Greenville, Naylor and Neelyville. We’re in all of these communities,” said Fox. “So if 8 (a.m.) doesn’t work for a lot of people and they need something that’s after 5 o’clock, they can always go online or download their Red Cross donor app, and that will help them find blood drives nearest them.”
She added, there is even more incentive than possibly saving a life.
“Anyone who comes to give in March, whether that’s this drive or another drive, they’ll receive a $10 Visa gift card by email within 30 days of their donation, plus five of them will have a chance to win a $3,000 gift card,” she said.
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