Legion and Auxiliary schedule April 9 blood drive

The next American Red Cross Community Blood Drive sponsored by Sun Prairie American Legion and Auxiliary is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, from 1 — 6 p.m. in Fellowship Hall at Sun Prairie United Methodist Church, 702 North Street. Red Cross will be collecting whole blood and double red cells.

Blood banks across the nation are reporting critical shortages because blood donor levels are lower now than they have ever been. These supply issues cause local hospitals across the country to make hard choices about who receives immediate treatment and who does not. Every two seconds a person in the U.S. needs blood and/or platelets so banks must be kept as full as possible. Blood products are needed for everything from surgeries to traumatic injuries to cancer and sickle cell disease treatments, with roughly 29,000 units of red blood cells, 5,000 units of platelets, and 6,500 units of plasma required on a daily basis. Voluntary donations of blood, platelets and plasma are required because they cannot be synthetically manufactured.

April is National Volunteer Month. Celebrate by donating blood. Red Cross depends on the generosity of volunteers to ensure blood products are available when patients need them. As a thank you, the Red Cross will be giving out via email $10 eGift cards to be used a merchant of choice.

Eligible donors with types O and B negative or A negative blood are encouraged to make a Power Red donation. Donating a concentrated dose of red blood cells during a single donation allows donors to maximize their impact.

Save time with RapidPass®. Complete pre-donation reading and health history at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or with the Blood Donor App before an appointment. If you have eligibility questions, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org.

Red Cross and the American Legion and Auxiliary appreciate the volunteers and supporters who have given their time and blood donations to enable Red Cross to continue to perform its lifesaving mission. We hope to see you April 9.