Local blood drives for April start Friday

The American Red Cross will conduct open blood drives at the following Marion County locations this month:

  • Friday, April 3rd – 2 to 7 p.m. –  Blue Fusion,  1340 Mt. Vernon Ave.
  • Monday, April 6 – Noon – 6 p.m. – Marion Public Library, 445 E Church Street
  • Thursday, April 9th –11 a.m. to 5 p.m. – American Legion Harold L. Bradley Post 584 (Bingo Hall), 142 Olney Avenue
  • Friday, April 10th – 1:30 to 7 p.m. – Marion General Hospital, 1000 McKinley Park Drive
  • Saturday, April 11th – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. – LaRue Baptist Church, 350 North High Street, LaRue
  • Monday, April 13th – 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Pleasant High School Gym, 1101 Owens Road West
  • Tuesday,  April 14th – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – The Alber Student Center on the campus of The Ohio State University at Marion & Marion Technical College, 1465 Mt. Vernon Avenue
  • Saturday, April 25th – 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Waldo Community Drive at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 138 W. Main Street, Waldo

Appointments for most drives may be arranged by calling, toll-free, 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).  As an alternative, you may book your own appointment for many drives online at www.redcrossblood.org.  You may also ask the Marion County Office for assistance with setting appointments.  Call 740-725-9141, Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Donors who are on time for appointments will be given priority at all drives.  Walk-ins and donors with appointments who arrive other than at their scheduled times will be welcomed whenever openings in the schedule permit.

Every two seconds someone in America needs blood.  Blood transfusions are used for trauma victims, heart surgery, organ transplants, women suffering from complications of childbirth, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, sickle cell disease, cancer and other serious conditions.

The Central Ohio Region of the Red Cross encompasses 27 counties – including Marion County – and assists patients at 41 area hospitals.  The region needs approximately 650 donors daily to maintain the supply.

Under normal circumstances, a donor can give one unit of whole blood every 56 days (8 weeks) or double red cells every 112 days (16 weeks).

Individuals who are at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in Ohio), who weigh at least 110 pounds, and who are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.  Donors under age 19 may have to meet additional weight requirements, depending on gender and height.  Please bring your Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate.

If you have any questions about your eligibility to give blood (such as medications you may be taking, your health history, or the height and weight requirements for donors under 19), call the American Red Cross Donor Suitability unit, toll-free, at 866-426-0922.

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