Severe winter weather, which the St. Louis area and other regions continues to deal with, and the California wildfires, are having an unseen impact on American health.
The American Red Cross is facing a national blood crisis because these conditions have forced thousands of blood donations to go uncollected.
There is a critical need for platelets, as well as an emergency shortage for types O negative, and B negative blood. A national call is out for donors, especially Black donors, and people in the metro St. Louis area have an opportunity to help during Black History Month.
Comptroller Darlene Green will hold her semi-annual annual community blood drive from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday February 24, 2025, in Room 208 of St. Louis City Hall.
The blood drive honors Dr. Charles Drew, a physician and medical researcher who developed the first large-scale blood banks early in World War II.
The Red Cross urgently needs blood and platelet donors to meet the needs of patient care, and there is ongoing need for African American blood donors for sickle cell therapies.
Individuals who receive frequent blood transfusions, such as patients with sickle cell disease, need to receive the most compatible match possible.
There are more than 600 known antigens, and some are unique to specific racial and ethnic groups. One in three African American blood donors is a match for a patient with sickle cell disease
To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org [www.redcrossblood.org/STLCity]