Blood Donors Needed During Sickle Cell Awareness Month

Thursday, September 10, 2020

September 10, 2020 (St. Paul, MN)—Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) has an urgent need for blood and platelet donations. With hurricanes affecting blood donations in the southern United States and COVID-19 impacting up to 50% of blood drives, blood donors are urgently needed to help maintain a stable supply of blood for local hospital patients.

Plus, September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Sickle cell disease is the most common blood disease in the U.S. Patients sometimes need frequent blood transfusions and can suffer severe side effects from receiving blood from multiple donors. MBC is looking for eligible donors to enroll in the Sickle Cell Donor Program to match patients with specially typed donors. Learn more at MBC.ORG/sicklecell.

The need for blood is constant, but the supply is not. To help in the fight against COVID-19, the FDA has updated some eligibility guidelines—some donors who were previously deferred might now be eligible to give. Check eligibility and schedule an appointment at MBC.ORG or call 1-888-GIVE-BLD (888-448-3253).

Blood donation is safe and essential, and MBC has a COVID-19 self-screening policy in addition to general eligibility guidelines. In general, you may be eligible to donate if you are:

In good health
17 years or older— or 16 with written parental consent (PDF available on MBC.ORG)
At least 110 pounds
Free of antibiotics for 24 hours, unless taken for preventative reasons
Symptom-free for at least 72 hours following a cold or flu

MBC also continues to collect COVID-19 convalescent plasma at all metro donor centers. While there is no proven treatment, it is possible that convalescent plasma, which has antibodies against the virus, could help patients with serious or life-threatening infections. Learn more at (MBC.ORG/CPdonor).

Visit MBC.ORG to find your nearest drive or donor center, or to make an appointment at one of the public blood drives below.

Date	Sponsor	Location	City	Time
9/14	Life Time Athletic—Eagan	1565 Thomas Center Dr	Eagan	2:00-7:30pm
9/14	Knights of Columbus	11300 Frankfort Pkwy NE	Saint Michael	2:00-8:00pm
9/15	Key Surgical	8101 Wallace Rd	Eden Prairie	11:00am-4:00pm
9/17	OMNI Brewing Company	9462 Deerwood Lane North	Maple Grove	3:00-7:30pm
9/18	Highland Park Community Blood Drive	1978 Ford Parkway	St Paul	11:am-4:00pm
9/19	St Barnabus Lutheran Church	15600 Old Rockford Rd	Plymouth	8:00am-1:00pm
9/19	Fulton Farmers Market	4901 Chowen Ave S	Minneapolis	8:30am-1:30pm
9/21	St Alphonsus Catholic Church	7025 Halifax Ave N	Brooklyn Center	1:30-6:00pm
9/21	Indeed Brewing	711 15 Ave NE	Minneapolis	12:00-5:00pm
9/22	Maple Grove Community Center	12951 Weaver Lake Rd	Maple Grove	3:00-7:00pm
9/22	Waterford Office Park	605 Hwy 169 N	Plymouth	10:00am-3:00pm
9/22	Metropolitan Airports Commission	6040 28^th Ave S	Minneapolis	8:00am-1:00pm
9/23	Minnetonka United Methodist Church	17611 Lake St Extension	Minnetonka	3:00-7:00pm
9/24	Woodbury Community	1925 Woodwinds Dr	Woodbury	7:00am-2:00pm
9/24	Citizens Independent Bank	5000 36^th St	St Louis Park	9:00am-2:00pm
9/26	Pull for Papa	22776 MN-15	Saint Cloud	9:00am-2:30pm
9/28	Annunciation Catholic Church	509 W 54^th St	Minneapolis	12:00-7:00pm
9/29	Shakopee Police Dept	475 Gorman St	Shakopee	11:00am-6:00pm
9/30	North Star Resource Group	2701 University Ave SE	Minneapolis	7:30am-12:30pm

About Memorial Blood Centers

Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) has been saving lives since 1948 as an independent nonprofit. MBC relies on the local community to donate blood to help ensure a safe and stable blood supply is available to area hospitals and other partners throughout the country. With operations in Minnesota and Wisconsin, MBC is a division of New York Blood Centers Enterprises (NYBCe), serving communities across the country. For more information, call 1-888-GIVE-BLD (1-888-448-3253) or visit MBC.ORG. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.