Riverside to host blood drive to help with historic blood shortage

From Staff Reports
·1 min read
There will be a Vitalant community blood drive from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 20 at Riverside High School.
There will be a Vitalant community blood drive from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 20 at Riverside High School.

NORTH SEWICKLEY TWP. — There will be a Vitalant blood drive from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at Riverside High School, 300 County Club Drive.

The blood drive is open to anybody in the public. All eligible blood donors, especially those with the most transfused blood type O, are critically needed to make an appointment at this blood drive by calling 412-589-4570. Appointments can also be made on Vitalant.org and searching code HS010107.

Western Pennsylvania is experiencing a historic low blood supply amid the national blood shortage. The fast-spreading Omicron variant is the latest COVID-19 complication forcing Vitalant’s community blood drives to cancel, lessening the number of healthy and available donors. Vitalant, formerly Central Blood Bank, is the exclusive blood provider to UPMC Jameson Hospital in New Castle.

As a special thank you during January, National Blood Donor Month, all those who give with Vitalant will be automatically entered into the $5,000 Big Game Giveaway to win one of four, $5,000 prepaid gift cards redeemable by email.

People can give blood immediately after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine or the seasonal flu vaccine if all other eligibility requirements are met.

This article originally appeared on Ellwood City Ledger: Riverside to host blood drive Thursday