Ocean City Blood Drive Event Part Of Push For 'Diversified Blood Supply'

OCEAN CITY, NJ — An upcoming blood donation event at the Ocean City Masonic Lodge is part of the American Red Cross’s push to ensure a diversified blood supply. The drive is 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the lodge, located at 940 Wesley Avenue in Ocean City, on Monday, Oct. 9.

“Some blood types are unique to certain racial and ethnic groups, so a diverse blood supply is important to meeting the medical needs of an increasingly diverse patient population,” the Red Cross said in a release. “Patients who need repeated transfusions, like 11-year-old Tymia McCullough who has sickle cell disease, must have blood that is matched very closely. Patients are less likely to have complications from blood donated by someone with a similar ethnicity.”

Donors of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as all blood types, are needed to help patients fight sickle cell disease, alpha thalassemia and other illnesses. In addition to the blood drive event, donations can be made anytime.

Make an appointment to give blood by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). To help reduce wait times, donors are encouraged to make appointments and complete the RapidPass online health history questionnaire at redcrossblood.org/RapidPass.

Patch file photo