Blood Drives Coming Up Near Strongsville, Blood Donors Decreasing

STRONGSVILLE, OH — There are several blood drives in coming weeks in and around Strongsville, according to the Red Cross. Donations of blood are needed to help people throughout the nation.

“Everyday thousands of patients across the United States rely on generous blood donors for critical blood transfusions,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the Red Cross. “However, we have seen a troubling decline in the number of new blood donors. We urge the public to roll up a sleeve and fill the missing types before these lifesaving letters go missing from hospital shelves.”

Less than 10 percent of the American population donates blood, the Red Cross says. Over the past four years, Red Cross donors have declined by about 80,000 each year, the organization said. The blood donor base is shrinking, the organization said.

Donated blood goes to a variety of patients, including those battling cancer, those undergoing orthopedic surgeries, those receiving organ transplants, and those being treated for inherited blood disorders. An increase in donations can help save lives.

Weirdly, blood donation spikes following a natural disaster. In times of relative tranquility, blood donations dip, leading organizations like the American Red Cross to try and scramble together more blood drives, according to America's Blood Centers.

Here are five blood drives in and around Strongsville in coming days and weeks:

• June 12 at the Parma Blood Donation Center, 5585 Pearl Road — 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• June 12 at Our Saviour Lutheran Church (in Hinckley), 1605 Center Road — 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• June 13 at the Brunswick Community Center, 3637 Center Road — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• June 13 at the Cleveland Clinic Strongsville, 16761 Southpark Center — 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• June 14 at Saint Ambrose Church (in Brunswick), 929 Pearl Road — 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• June 15 at St. Albert the Great (in North Royalton), 6667 Wallings Road — 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• June 15 at the North Olmsted Library, 27403 Lorain Road — 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• June 20 at the Fairview Recreation Center (in Fairview Park), 21225 Lorain Road — 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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