Lawrenceville Blood Drive Set For May

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — The American Red Cross will host a blood drive in Lawrenceville next month. It will take place on Sunday, May 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Gurudwara Sahib, 282 Bakers Basin Road.

Anyone who can’t donate in person is encouraged to make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). All those who come to donate from April 9 to May 13, 2018, will be entered to win one of three $1,000 gift cards to a national home improvement retailer, courtesy of Suburban Propane. Restrictions apply. More details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Lets-Do-More.

The American Red Cross is asking for potential blood donors to give so that it can be prepared to meet the needs of patients in emergency situations. According to the National Trauma Institute, trauma accounts for approximately 41 million emergency department visits and 2 million hospital admissions each year.

Regular blood, platelet and plasma donations help ensure that blood is available at a moment’s notice. In fact, it is the blood on the shelves that is used to help save lives at the time of an accident or sudden illness, according to the Red Cross.

In trauma situations, when there’s no time to check a patient’s blood type, emergency personnel reach for type O negative red blood cells and type AB plasma because they can be transfused to any patient, regardless of blood type. Less than 7 percent of the population has type O negative blood, and only about 4 percent of the population has type AB blood.

Platelets may also be needed to help with clotting in cases of massive bleeding. Because platelets must be transfused within five days of donation, there is a constant – often critical – need to keep up with hospital demand.

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