During the pandemic providing a blood supply for our hospital patients is critically important, and volunteer blood donors are key to supporting our community blood supply.The Rotary Club of Sedona Village is sponsoring a blood drive on Friday, August 21 with Vitalant blood service. The Sedona Oak Creek School District is donating space for the blood drive in the Big Park Community School cafeteria between the hours of 12 and 5PM. Donors do need to preregister. They can do so on the Vitalant website (https://www.vitalant.org/Home.aspx) home page. Click on “Schedule Now” and search by the 86351 zip code, or the date, and it will indicate the list of schedule options.
Rotarian Heather Hermen, blood drive leader, states “Last year Rotary’s blood drive resulted in 32 donors; we are hoping to see many more this year. All Covid related precautions will be followed to provide a safe donor environment”.
The blood drive partner, Vitalant is one of the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit community blood service providers, supplies comprehensive transfusion medicine services to nearly 1,000 hospitals and health care partners for patients in need across 40 states.Nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, but less than 10 percent actually do.
Volunteer blood 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 or 17 must have a signed permission form from a parent or guardian.
Vitalant relies exclusively on the generosity of volunteer blood donors to support the community blood supply. Studies have shown that volunteer donors provide a safer blood supply.
