GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Red Cross is delivering comfort and help by sending relief to tornado-stricken mid-south, but they need something you have, blood donations.
Their site says, "Additional blood products provided to area hospitals in response to tornado outbreak, further straining historically low blood supply."
“We are able to make sure that blood is distributed when and where it's needed, so that may be locally within the Triad area, it could be another part of NC, and it could be to help victims that have been affected by disasters across the country,” said Maya Franklin, Red Cross Regional Communications Specialist.
The Red Cross has already sent 200 units of blood to hospitals in the impacted areas. They have a national inventory and can distribute blood whenever and where ever it is needed. The Red Cross says blood can take up to three days to be tested, processed, and made available for patients, so it's blood on the shelves that save lives.
The only way to get more blood on the shelves is for folks to donate. Join us Tuesday, December 14, 2021, for the Holiday Blood Drive. It's from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Piedmont Hall, which is on the grounds of the Greensboro Coliseum complex. You can walk-in or make an online appointment.
The blood you give not only helps folks impacted by the tornadoes but your neighbors right here at home.
“A disaster like what we're seeing in the center of the country has an impact on our ability to ensure that blood is available at times of emergencies or for other instances that hospitals might need, whether it's a mother that might experience complications while giving birth or someone involved in a car accident,” said Franklin.