MVRCC sponsoring blood drive Thursday in Charleroi

The Red Cross says there’s an urgent need for blood due to a nationwide shortage.

Blood banks are running low the supply they need to save lives.

According to the American Red Cross, there continues to be a national blood emergency as remnants of Hurricane Debby and other severe weather events have complicated efforts to rebuild the nation’s blood supply.

The Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce has stepped in to help.

A community-wide blood drive will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday at Dee’s Event Center in Charleroi.

Sponsored by the MVRCC through a partnership with Vitalant, anyone who donates blood through Aug. 29 will be in the running to win one of two $10,000 prizes. Additionally, donors will get a $10 gift card for their efforts.

Appointments can be booked for Thursday’s blood drive by going to vitalant.org and using the code UC070006 or by calling 1-877-25VITAL.

Donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Additional height and weight requirements apply to some donors age 22 and younger.

Donors who are 16, and some 17-year-olds in certain states, must have a signed permission form from a parent or guardian.

It takes about an hour from completing the health history questionnaire through the medical screening and post-donation refreshments and snacks, but the donation only lasts about 10 minutes.

Vitalant, a nonprofit organization, provides blood to 900 hospitals across 28 states where it is used in a variety of medical treatments.

The group said someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds and because blood has a shelf life, it’s crucial to replenish the supply.

Red blood cells can be used up for to 42 days, and platelets need to be used in five.

All blood types are needed, including the most common.

MVRCC Executive Director Leanna Spada said Vitalant is a chamber member and she felt encouraged to help when she became aware of the need.

“We became aware of the immense shortage they are having right now and it’s affecting everywhere,” Spada said. “The numbers are down, people aren’t donating, and they are really in desperate need of help, so I figured hosting an event is the least we can do to help and save lives.”

Spada has learned through working with Vitalant how important donating blood is.

“It’s critical,” she said. “It’s a really vital thing because we need our blood supply. To not have it would be detrimental to so many people. So hopefully we will have a great turnout and be able to help them out.”

The chamber plans to host a few more blood drives this year.

“We just want to do whatever we can,” Spada said.

While appointments are encouraged, they are not required.

Gift of life

According to the American Red Cross, weather in recent weeks has added to the summer shortfall in donations by forcing the cancellation of nearly 60 blood drives throughout the country. Many of the cancellations were caused by Debby, resulting approximately 1,500 lifesaving blood products to go uncollected.

Annually, severe weather like blizzards, tornadoes, flooding and hurricanes impact about 90,000 blood donations made to the Red Cross.

In Pennsylvania, more than 680 blood drives have been canceled due to weather over the last 10 years, including 35 so far this year. That has resulted in nearly 900 donations going uncollected in the state in 2024.

Because blood has a short shelf life and can only come from volunteer blood donors, any disruptions in the ability to collect lifesaving blood can have serious consequences for hospitals and patients.

Be ready for emergencies

September is National Preparedness Month, and a strong blood supply is key to preparedness for disasters and medical emergencies.

As disasters occur more often and become more powerful due to the climate crisis, the Red Cross also encourages people to get their households ready for emergencies.

This year the country has already seen the earliest Category 5 storm ever recorded with Hurricane Beryl, and wildfires have burned 1.5 million more acres compared to all of 2023.

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