Red Cross Seeking More Donors Today at Media Blood Drive in Wheeling
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WHEELING - Sharon Kesselring, executive director of the American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley, was heartened by the fact that, on the first day of the Red Cross' Media Blood Drive on Monday, the group surpassed its goal of 80 units of blood donated.
Yet she then pointed out how many appointment slots were open for today's part of the drive at the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack and Friday's session at River City Ale House on Main Street. That, she said, showed there still was work to do.
The Red Cross is seeking donors to fill spots from 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. today on Wheeling Island and from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the restaurant at 1400 Main St. in Wheeling. Getting those appointments filled is crucial for the Red Cross right now, Kesselring said.
"Right now, we're under an emergency appeal," she said. "We went under an emergency appeal two weeks ago and, unfortunately, the weather has not improved enough to help pull us out of that."
Last week's snowstorms led to a number of blood drives across the country to be canceled. Kesselring said the Red Cross is hoping to make up for those losses this week and in upcoming blood drives.
Kesselring suggests setting an appointment to donate blood, which can be done on RedCross.org or on the organization's app. Because most people who donated at the casino's ballroom Monday set appointments, wait times were only about five to 10 minutes.
Walk-ins are welcome, Kesselring said, but making an appointment is suggested.
The Red Cross also is looking for O-positive and O-negative donors who are able to give blood through the Power Red machines that are stationed at the casino's ballroom. Those machines allow donors to safely give two units of red blood cells in one donation, as the plasma and platelets are returned to them.