Tag: Red Cross

Red Cross responds to devastating tornadoes

The American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas is coordinating with local and state emergency management to assist communities hit by devastating tornadoes overnight in Missouri and Arkansas.

“Our hearts go out to the individuals and communities impacted across Missouri and Arkansas,” said Chris Harmon, regional disaster officer. “We have been working to determine specific needs and will continue to work closely with local officials today.”

Red Cross has sent responders to affected communities in the Greater St. Louis area including Edwardsville, Illinois, and in St. Charles County where homes were destroyed in Defiance, Missouri. Responders also provided assistance in Wright and Stone counties in Missouri where homes were damaged and are in the northeast Arkansas communities affected in Craighead County and surrounding areas.

Red Cross assistance following a disaster includes immediate needs such as shelter, food and clothing; providing mental health and spiritual care assistance; and supporting emergency responders in their rescue efforts with water and food.

How to help those affected by disasters

During and after disasters, financial donations enable the Red Cross to help people recover from disasters big and small. To give visit redcross.org, call 1-800 RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation or donate online at www.redcross.org.

To volunteer, visit redcross.org/volunteer.

Red Cross supporters

Red Cross provides help to individuals following disasters which is made possible through the support of volunteers and financial donors. The Red Cross is able to respond quickly when emergencies happen thanks to its generous Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) donors: Anheuser Busch, Enterprise and Walmart. And the Ready 365 donors pre-invest in Red Cross services to ensure that when emergencies happen, the Red Cross is ready to respond: Build-A-Bear, Boeing, Edward Jones, Emerson Charitable Trust, H&R Block, Hostess, Renaissance Financial, and Veterans United Foundation. The Red Cross is also a United Way community partner agency.

Red Cross offers T-shirts, contest for blood donors

Blood donors in selected American Red Cross blood drives this summer will receive T-shirts and will be entered for a chance to win a travel trailer camper.

James Van Der Beek, an actor, and his wife Kimberly have joined with the Red Cross to encourage healthy people to donate blood or platelets.

As the nation gets back to some of its former activities, a Red Cross spokesman stated that there is a concern about the effect on Red Cross blood donor turnout and the blood supply this summer.

In thanks for making the blood donations, those who come to give blood, platelets or plasma in May will automatically be entered for a chance to win a travel trailer camper that sleeps five, powered by Suburban Propane, via their SuburbanCares initiative. The Red Cross is also thanking those who come to donate May 28-June 13 with a limited-edition T-shirt, while supplies last.

The Van Der Beeks said that blood donations have saved the lives of pregnant women needing transfusions.

Individuals of all blood types are urged to schedule an appointment now to give blood, and in most cases, those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine can donate. However, knowing the name of the manufacturer of the vaccine they received is important in determining donation eligibility, a spokesman stated. Appointments can be made by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

The Red Cross is testing blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. The test may indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether they developed symptoms. Testing may also identify the presence of antibodies developed after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

Plasma from routine blood and platelet donations that test positive for high levels of antibodies may be used as convalescent plasma to meet potential future needs of COVID-19 patients. Convalescent plasma is a type of blood product collected from COVID-19 survivors who have antibodies that may help patients who are actively fighting the virus.

The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness, referred to as a diagnostic test. To protect the health and safety of Red Cross staff and donors, it is important that individuals who do not feel well or believe they may be ill with COVID-19 postpone donation.

The Red Cross is also screening all blood, platelet and plasma donations from self-identified African American donors for the sickle cell trait. This additional screening will provide Black donors with an additional health insight and help the Red Cross identify compatible blood types more quickly to help patients with sickle cell disease. Blood transfusion is an essential treatment for those with sickle cell disease, and blood donations from individuals of the same race, ethnicity and blood type have a unique ability to help patients fighting sickle cell disease.

Donors can expect to receive antibody test and sickle cell trait screening results, if applicable, within one to two weeks through the Red Cross Blood Donor App and the online donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.

Upcoming Red Cross blood drives in Kansas City, Kansas, include:

• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 21, the New Bethel Church, 745 Walker Ave.
• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 26, Cabela’s, 10300 Cabela Drive.
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 2, Cabela’s, 10300 Cabela Drive.
• 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. June 2, Cabela’s, 10300 Cabela Drive.

Red Cross testing blood donations for COVID-19 antibodies

The American Red Cross is now testing all blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies, according to a news release.

Upcoming blood drives in this area will be at Cabelas, 10300 Cabela Drive, Kansas City, Kansas, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 24.

There continues to be an urgent need for blood donations as hospitals have resumed surgeries and treatments that require blood products, according to a Red Cross spokesman.

Donors now can learn whether they have been exposed to COVID-19. Antibody testing will show if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether they developed symptoms, according to the news release.

Donations will be tested using samples pulled at the time of donation and sent to a testing laboratory where they will also undergo routine infectious disease testing, the spokesman stated. A positive antibody test result does not confirm infection or immunity, according to the Red Cross.

COVID-19 antibody test results will be available within 7-10 days in the Red Cross Blood Donor App or donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org. The test has been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“As an organization dedicated to helping others, the Red Cross is pleased to provide more information about COVID-19 to our valued donors,” said Dr. Erin Goodhue, executive medical director of direct patient care with the Red Cross Biomedical Services. “If you are feeling healthy and well, please schedule an appointment to not only help saves lives but also learn about your potential exposure to COVID-19.”

The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness, referred to as a diagnostic test.

Donation appointments can be made by downloading the free Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.

Thanks to Amazon, all those who come to give June 1-30 will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email, according to the Red Cross.

Other blood drives are scheduled in Johnson County and in Kansas City, Missouri. To see a list of other sites where blood may be donated, visit RedCrossBlood.org.