If most nonprofits saw an 8 percent drop in donations over a quarter, they’d be a little concerned. But for the American Red Cross, not having blood for even one patient in need of a transfusion is a crisis. And the organization’s 8-percent shortfall over the last three months amounts to 80,000 fewer donations, causing it to issue an urgent call for donors of all blood types.
“It’s important that people understand: We have to collect 15,000 blood donations every day to meet the national daily demand at hospitals,” says Red Cross spokeswoman Kimberly Houk. “ Every two seconds a patient in America needs a blood donation.”
That's a lot of blood. Donations are typically low in the summer, but this year the three-day weekend for Independence Day put a larger-than-usual dent in early July collections. In an average summer week, the Red Cross reports, 4,400 blood drives are on the calendar. The first week of July this year, there were only 3,450.
The organization needs both blood and platelets. To find out if you’re an eligible donor, visit RedCross.org/blood or call 1-800-RedCross (733-2767). Upcoming opportunities to donate in Southern Nevada follow:
Henderson
July 24, 3:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: ITT Technical Institute, 168 N Gibson Road
Las Vegas
July 23, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Kaplan College, 3535 W. Sahara Ave
July 26, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Meadows Mall, 4300 Meadows Lane Suite 10
July 26, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.: Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center, 5400 S Rainbow Blvd
July 29, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.: Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center, 3186 S. Maryland Parkway
July 31, 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.: LVMPD Northeast Area Command, 3750 Cecile Avenue
Aug. 4, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Southwest Medical Associates, 2316 W Charleston Blvd
Aug. 7, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Valley Hospital Medical Center, 620 Shadow Lane
Aug. 15, 9:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m.: Basch Construction, 6226 S Sandhill
Aug. 19, 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.: Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center, 5400 S Rainbow Blvd
Aug. 20, 8:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Milan Institute, 710 S. Tonopah Drive
Aug. 20, 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.: American Red Cross Southern Nevada Chapter, 1771 E. Flamingo Rd. Ste 206B
Aug. 21, 7:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Danville Services, 9139 W. Russell Suite # 110
Mesquite
Aug. 13, 7:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.: Primex Plastics, 752 Turtleback Road
Aug. 13, 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.: Primex Plastics, 752 Turtleback Road
North Las Vegas
July 25, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Encompass Care, 6424 Losee Rd
July 30, 4:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: ITT Technical Institute, 3825 W. Cheyenne Ave #600
Aug. 11, 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: Destinations at Alexander, 3949 W. Alexander Rd.
Aug. 15, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: North Vista Hospital, 1409 E Lake Mead Blvd
Pahrump
Aug. 12, 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: Affiliated Chiropractic, 2250 E Postal Rd #4
