RedCrossPhillyBlog

Category: Biomedical Services

  • Thousands of additional donations needed to replenish the Red Cross blood supply

    By Alana Mauger

    Since announcing a national blood and platelet shortage a month ago, thousands of donors across the country have rolled up a sleeve to help rebuild the American Red Cross blood and platelet supply. As that generosity continues, the Red Cross is working around-the-clock to ensure patients have access to lifesaving transfusions and must collect 10,000 additional blood and platelet donations – over and above expectations – each week over the next month to sufficiently meet hospital needs.

    Donors of all blood types are urged to book a time to give now, especially those with type O blood or those giving platelets. To make an appointment, use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). 

    Red Cross graphic: National blood shortage.

    Enjoy lunch on us

    To encourage more blood and platelet donations, the Red Cross is offering new incentives to donors over the next month. All who come to give Oct. 21-Nov. 9 will receive a $10 gift card by email to a restaurant merchant of their choice to enjoy lunch on the Red Cross. They’ll also be automatically entered to win a $5,000 gift card. There will be three lucky winners – one chosen at random each week. Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Lunch.

    Red Cross graphic: Lunch on us! Giftcard.

    Flu and COVID-19 vaccines don’t affect donor eligibility

    As cold and flu season quickly approaches, the Red Cross is reminding donors that they can still give blood or platelets after receiving a flu vaccine, so long as they are feeling healthy and well on the day of their donation. Likewise, there is no deferral or wait time for those receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccine. Check out the eligibility FAQs on our website for more info.

    Red Cross graphic: Can I give blood after getting my flu shot?

    Save time with RapidPass®

    RapidPass® can help save time during your next blood or platelet donation. From your computer or mobile device, you’ll read some initial information, then read through the pre-donation materials, answer your health history questions and print, download or email your RapidPass® to yourself, and bring it with you.

    For the best donation experience, schedule an appointment first, then complete your RapidPass®. You must complete your RapidPass® on the day of your appointment.

    Red Cross graphic: How to prepare to give blood. 1. Make an appointment. 2. Get a good night’s sleep. 3. Hydrate. 4. Eat a healthy meal. 5. Completed a RapidPass®. 6. Relax. Schedule your appointment at RedCrossBlood.org.

  • Donating blood and platelets is part of an active lifestyle for T’Sean Laws

    By Sadiyyah Young

    T’Sean Laws kept up with his blood and platelet donations while training for the Philadelphia and Chicago marathons last year! Submitted photo.

    Sept. 28th is recognized as National Good Neighbor Day, which is a great time to celebrate and thank American Red Cross blood and platelet donors for being GREAT neighbors to their fellow residents. Local dedicated blood and platelet donor T’Sean Law is a shining example. He has been donating blood for almost 18 years and platelets for almost 4.

    T’Sean gained an interest in donating blood as a teen in high school. It was a fun and interactive experience for him and his friends at that time, so he thought nothing much about donating a few pints, which turned into a few liters. But as time passed, T’Sean became more aware of how important those donations are for people who rely on them. After discovering that his family had a history of suffering from lung and prostate cancer, T’Sean knew that giving blood and platelets would aid in the recovery of many cancer patients beyond his family and close friends. As a result, he grew to love the process of donating blood and platelets even more.

    You can find T’Sean donating platelets about one or twice a month at the American Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Horsham, where he has formed a lasting relationship with the staff and volunteers. Every time he visits to donate, T’Sean is welcomed in a warm, fun loving, joke-filled, relaxed environment by people that know him by name. He enjoys the great snacks after the process is over and likes meeting a lot of new and interesting people.

    T’Sean says it feels good to discuss his donation stories with his longtime friend and co-worker from Delaware who gives blood as well. They both developed a friendly competition over who gets the best snacks at their blood donation locations and who has the most fun while donating blood and platelets. This friendly banter has kept them connected with each other over the years.  

    Fun fact — T’Sean continued to donate blood and platelets even while he was training for the Philadelphia and Chicago marathons last year! He is an active member of the Swagger House Run Club and Black Men Run Philly groups, through which he focuses on assisting men in their 20s and up to stay out of trouble while maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle. T’Sean helps these young men and others educate themselves on physical and mental health awareness, various forms of cancer and illness affecting men and the importance of getting tested. Of course, he also discusses the importance of blood and platelet donation and volunteering for the Red Cross.  

    Red Cross Blood Shortage

    The American Red Cross is experiencing a national blood shortage. Fewer donors than needed gave blood this summer, drawing down the national blood supply and reducing distributions of some of the most needed blood types to hospitals. Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, and there’s an emergency need for type O blood donors, as well as platelet donors. More donors are needed now to ensure patients at hospitals across the country continue to receive critical medical care.    Schedule an appointment to give by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

  • Help needed to fight ongoing national blood and platelet shortage

    By Alana Mauger

    Red Cross graphic: Shortage alert.

    The American Red Cross continues to experience a national blood and platelet shortage and asks the public to book a time to give as soon as possible. Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, especially type O blood donors and those giving platelets.

    The Red Cross experienced a significant blood and platelet donation shortfall in August, contributing to the current blood and platelet shortage. To ensure the blood supply recovers, the Red Cross must collect 10,000 additional blood products each week over the next month to meet hospital and patient needs.

    “When blood and platelet supplies drop to critical levels, it makes hospitals and the patients they are treating vulnerable – especially if there is a major accident or emergency medical procedure that requires large quantities of blood during a disaster,” said Dr. Baia Lasky, medical director for the Red Cross. “A single car accident victim can use as much as 100 units of blood. By making and keeping donation appointments, donors can help keep hospital shelves stocked with blood products and ensure patients have access to the timely care they deserve.”

    As a thank-you, those who come to give Oct. 1-20, 2023, will receive a $15 Amazon.com Gift Card by email. Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Together.

    Unique challenges to blood supply

    In late summer, the Red Cross national blood supply dropped by about 25% on the heels of one of the busiest travel seasons and the beginning of back-to-school activities. As people settle back into fall school and work routines, a unique challenge to the blood supply remains – many employees continue to work from home or in a hybrid capacity, reducing the number of opportunities to give blood at business-sponsored blood drives. In fact, before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 800,000 blood donations were made at blood drives hosted by businesses. Last year, the Red Cross saw only about 500,000 blood donations at these locations – a nearly 40% drop from pre-pandemic levels.

    This, coupled with an active disaster season, is creating a perfect “storm” and challenging the organization’s ability to collect a sufficient amount of blood products to meet the needs of hospitals across the country. 

    Schedule an appointment to donate

    The Red Cross offers three ways to make a donation appointment that can help save lives:

  • Donating blood takes on new meaning for recipient’s family

    By Terri Seydel

    Sue Lowenstein and John Fisher. Submitted photo

    It wasn’t until Bucks County resident Sue Lowenstein found herself alone in a Colorado emergency room, watching her husband fight for his life, that she fully understood the impact blood donors have on another person’s life.

    Sue recalls watching helplessly as the hospital staff administered one unit at a time while rushing to save her husband’s life due to a severe gastrointestinal bleed. In all, it took 5 units of blood and intensive care over the span of about nine days to stabilize and save her husband, who goes by “Fish.”

    As the severity of the situation became clear, Sue realized that she would have lost Fish if that blood had not been immediately available when her husband needed it.

    “The hospital caregivers were amazing, but it was the blood donors that actually saved his life.”

    Blood donation was a habit that Sue began during her college years as a pediatric physical therapy student. At the time, she knew donating was important but had not understood much about the testing and distribution process.

    Many years later, during this emergency while on a vacation with their family in Colorado, she became fully aware of how precious a pint of blood truly is as she witnessed the care and handling firsthand.

    Feeling helpless and alone, Sue watched as each unit was received by her husband’s critical care team. Nurses worked as a team to verify the match between the blood and the recipient. After multiple verifications, the nursing supervisor unlocked the carrier and released the blood for use. Sue couldn’t help but fully appreciate the security measures used to protect both her husband and the donor’s blood.

    It’s been many years since that emergency in Colorado, and Fish’s medical condition is now well controlled. That experience has inspired Sue and their oldest daughter to continue donating in his honor and in hopes of saving other people’s lives.

    Sue often encourages others to consider donating blood. It’s easy to schedule the hour-long appointment for a relatively painless process. Sue also appreciates the Red Cross communication telling her which facility has received her donated blood. This knowledge often provides an emotional connection between blood donors and the community they’ve helped.

    “A pint of blood and [an hour] of your time can literally save the life of a 45-year-old father of three.”

    Red Cross Blood Shortage

    The American Red Cross is experiencing a national blood shortage. Fewer donors than needed gave blood this summer, drawing down the national blood supply and reducing distributions of some of the most needed blood types to hospitals. Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, and there’s an emergency need for type O blood donors, as well as platelet donors. More donors are needed now to ensure patients at hospitals across the country continue to receive critical medical care.    Schedule an appointment to give by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

  • Red Cross faces a blood shortage as hospital demand outpaces blood donations

    By Alana Mauger

    Red Cross graphic – National Blood Shortage

    The American Red Cross is experiencing a national blood shortage. Fewer donors than needed gave this summer, drawing down the national blood supply and reducing distributions of some of the most needed blood types to hospitals. Hurricane Idalia further strained the blood supply with blood drive cancellations and reduced blood and platelet donations in affected areas. 

    Donors of all blood types are urgently needed, and there is an emergency need for platelet donors and type O blood donors to make an appointment to give now to ensure patients across the country continue to receive critical medical care. 

    When Idalia slammed into the Southeast – leading to widespread power outages, travel hazards and flooding – the storm also forced the cancellation of over a dozen blood drives and caused hundreds of blood and platelet donations to go uncollected. This compounded a shortfall of about 30,000 donations in August. Right now, blood product distributions to hospitals are outpacing the number of blood donations coming in.

    The Red Cross needs blood and platelet donors now. Schedule an appointment to give by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

    In thanks for helping rebuild the blood supply, all who come to give Sept. 1-18 will receive a limited-edition Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. Those who come to give throughout September will also receive a coupon for a free haircut by email, thanks to Sport Clips Haircuts. Plus, they’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win a VIP NASCAR racing experience. Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/RaceToGive.

    Red Cross graphic – Race to Give Blood

    September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month

    One in 3 African American blood donors is a match for people with sickle cell disease. To help ensure patients have the blood products they need, the Red Cross launched the Sickle Cell Initiative in 2021 to grow the number of blood donors who are Black and improve health outcomes for patients. Together longtime and first-time blood donors are helping patients with sickle cell manage their symptoms and showing support for their community.

    Joined by Blood is the initiative’s focus during Sickle Cell Awareness Month in September and continues through October. This year, the Red Cross is proud to partner with organizations focused on mentorship, including 100 Black Men of America, Inc.; Kier’s Hope Foundation, Inc.; historically Black colleges and universities and member organizations of the National Pan-Hellenic Council; as well as the Black Radio Hall of Fame and others, who are all showing up for patients with sickle cell by hosting blood drives. To learn more, visit RedCrossBlood.org/OurBlood.

    Red Cross graphic – We’re All Joined By Blood. Please Donate.

    How to donate blood

    To make an appointment, simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

    Amplify your impact − volunteer

    A stable blood and platelet supply is critical to national preparedness. Additionally, as we are in the beginning of what is expected to be another active hurricane season, the Red Cross urges everyone to get ready now and consider becoming a volunteer to help people affected by the growing number of climate-driven disasters.

    Support impacted communities by assisting at Red Cross shelters, using your professional skills as a licensed health care provider or becoming a member of the Red Cross Disaster Action Team. To learn more, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday.

    Red Cross graphic – YOU Can Help: 1. Provide help after disasters. 2, Support local blood drives. 3. Prepare your community for emergencies.

  • National Blood Collectors Week: Ikea Smith

    By Alana Mauger

    Red Cross blood collections team member Ikea Smith. Submitted photo.

    Long before she started working at the American Red Cross, Ikea Smith and her family understood the importance of blood donations. Ikea’s niece received weekly blood transfusions for most of her young life to treat sickle cell disease and aplastic anemia.   

    It was Ikea’s sister who first considered working for the Red Cross. After her sister inquired about a blood collections position, she realized she couldn’t spend that much time away from her daughter, who had been hospitalized for close to 7 months at the time. So she encouraged Ikea to apply.  

    “At my first day of Red Cross orientation, I got the call that my niece was going to have a bone marrow transplant,” Ikea said, proving to herself that she was in the right place. 

    In addition to the transplant, her niece had multiple brain surgeries to treat moyamoya disease – a rare, progressive cerebrovascular disorder caused by blocked arteries at the base of the brain. The three disorders proved to be too much for her niece’s body. She passed on at age 10.  

    “I do my job in honor of her,” Ikea said. “It’s really a passion for me.” 

    Coming from the mental and behavioral health field, phlebotomy was a big change for Ikea, who admits she never liked needles. But it’s a change she’s glad she made.  

    “It’s my way of giving back,” she said.    

    She also likes that her job allows her to meet new people, see new things and be in a new space every day.  

    “Every day is a new adventure,” she said. 

    Editor’s Note: National #BloodCollectorsWeek is Sept. 3-9, 2023. Celebrate those who ensure donors have great experiences and patients get the blood they need. Schedule an appointment to donate blood!

  • National Blood Collectors Week: Shannon Cobo

    By Alana Mauger

    Red Cross Collections team member Shannon Cobo (right) with her children Riley and Alex. Submitted photo.

    When the COVID-19 pandemic paused her career in home health care, Shannon Cobo brought her 20 years of phlebotomy experience to the American Red Cross. The move exceeded her wildest expectations.

    “This job is the best I have ever had,” she said. “It’s so rewarding.”

    Shannon likes the ability to go to different places and meet new people every day. But it’s the Red Cross mission that she finds most meaningful.

    “It’s sometimes easy to get caught up in our daily tasks and forget why we’re there, but then you have these meaningful moments talking with the donors, and it’s nice knowing you’re making a difference,” she said.

    She tells people everywhere she goes how much she loves her job. And when Shannon meets someone looking for a job, she encourages them to apply to the Red Cross.

    “I love my job that much that I want others to have that experience.”

    Editor’s Note: National #BloodCollectorsWeek is Sept. 3-9, 2023. Celebrate those who ensure donors have great experiences and patients get the blood they need. Schedule an appointment to donate blood!

  • National Blood Collectors Week: Kristin Mindock

    By Alana Mauger

    Red Cross Collections team member Kristin Mindock. Submitted photo

    September marks Kristin Mindock’s one-year anniversary working with the American Red Cross as a phlebotomist. And while collecting blood is a big change from her previous career in the restaurant industry, she enjoys the challenge.  

    “Every vein is different. Some are more challenging than others,” she said.  

    The Red Cross offers six weeks of paid, comprehensive training for phlebotomists at all levels, including those like Kristin who have no prior experience in the field. 

    “I look back a year ago, how I was asking everyone for help [and] now I can solve those problems on my own,” she said. “I give myself a little high five when that happens.” 

    In fact, it’s Kristin who now provides that help for members of her team. Thanks in part to her managerial experience, she became a collections specialist II, also called a “charge” in December. That promotion means she’s the team’s designated problem solver on assigned blood drives.   

    But Kristin is quick to point out that she’s still “a worker” and enjoys interacting with blood donors – a highlight of her job. 

    “I like meeting new people every day,” she said.   

    Editor’s Note: National #BloodCollectorsWeek is Sept. 3-9, 2023. Celebrate those who ensure donors have great experiences and patients get the blood they need. Schedule an appointment to donate blood!

  • National Blood Collectors Week: Sarah Levetter

    By Jenny Farley

    Red Cross Collections team member Sarah Levetter. Photo by Jenny Farley/American Red Cross.

    Sarah Levetter has one trait that might make you wonder at first why she chose phlebotomy as her profession. 

    “I’m terrified of needles,” she said. But that fear is her secret weapon to help people who want to donate blood. 

    “Some people come in – they look terrified. So I manage to relax them.” She explains her fear to donors and says, “I got you. We’re gonna get through this.” 

    Sarah said she “fell in love” with phlebotomy after starting the job for the Red Cross as a temp. Temporary became permanent after realizing she loved everything about the process, especially meeting new people at blood drives. 

    “One of the volunteers calls me the happy dancing phlebotomist. I’m always smiling.” Sarah likes putting new donors, especially high schoolers, at ease. 

    She remembered one donor who seemed nervous at first but after she helped him through the process she got the best news possible. 

    “He said he is now a lifetime donor because his first experience went so well.”  

    Sarah is thinking of becoming a nurse so she can know more about the medical issues that some donors have. In the meantime, she has a message for anyone who wants to give blood but might be afraid. 

    “Let’s have some fun. We’re doing a good thing.” 

    Editor’s Note: National #BloodCollectorsWeek is Sept. 3-9, 2023. Celebrate those who ensure donors have great experiences and patients get the blood they need. Schedule an appointment to donate blood!

  • Adam Joseph is among the first to donate blood under the FDA’s new inclusive screening process

    By Alana Mauger

    Adam Joseph holds a first-time blood donor sign after giving blood at Saint Luke Lutheran Church in Devon on Aug., 7, 2023. Photo by Konrad Jones/American Red Cross

    Action News (6abc) meteorologist Adam Joseph gave blood for the first time, on the first day he was eligible, Monday morning, Aug. 7 – the day the American Red Cross implemented new FDA guidelines that eliminate broad, time-based deferrals based on sexual orientation. 

    As a long-time advocate for this change, Adam described the milestone as “a day I have been waiting for my entire life.”

    “Honestly, I don’t even feel like blood is coming out of me right now!” he joked in a Facebook video recorded from the donation table. “I can’t believe this day is here and that you guys are with me. Love you all!”

    Action News reporter TaRhonda Thomas covered Adam’s historic donation, which he made at a Saint Luke Lutheran Church blood drive in Devon.

    Watch: 6abc’s Adam Joseph Donates Blood For the First Time.

    “It took over 40 years for someone like me to be able to give blood, and it took me 4 minutes and 33 seconds to give the gift of life,” he said following his donation.  

    Adam described the day and donation process as “exhilarating,” and promised he would be back to donate again in 56 days, as soon as he is eligible.

    “Not to be a weather pun, but I’m actually on cloud 9 that my blood is going somewhere and is going to help someone and save a life. That’s what we’re about here today is saving a life,” he said. “We’re allowing people who have never ever been able to give blood, maybe their entire adult life like myself, the opportunity to walk in the door and do this.”

    Adam is among the new donors welcomed into the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross Monday.  Under the new FDA donor screening process, all donors answer the same eligibility questions regardless of gender or sexual orientation and are assessed for blood donation based on individual risk factors, not on sexual orientation. This change eliminates the FDA’s previous policy that deferred men who have sex with men from giving blood.

    “The Red Cross celebrates this historic move as significant progress and remains committed to achieving an inclusive blood donation process that treats all potential donors with equality and respect while maintaining the safety of the blood supply,” explained Stefanie Arcangelo, interim CEO, Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region. “The Red Cross is committed to achieving further progress and will continue to provide data to the FDA in support of making blood donation even more inclusive.”

    Years of data have demonstrated that this new eligibility screening process ensures a safe blood supply patients can feel confident in. For years, the Red Cross has worked to change the deferral policy concerning men who have sex with men – this work included decades of data collection and assessment to improve transfusion safety, ongoing advocacy to eliminate donor questions based on sexual orientation, and our recent role as a leading contributor in the FDA-funded ADVANCE Study.

    The Red Cross welcomes everyone who wishes to be part of our humanitarian mission. You can learn more about these updates as part of our Eligibility FAQs. There is also information specific to the LGBTQ+ community on our LGBTQ+ Donors page.