Welcome to the Red Cross Sickle Cell Trait Screening Resource Center
Welcome to the Red Cross Sickle Cell Trait Screening Resource Center
Thank you for your dedication to the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross. By making the choice to donate blood, you are making a difference in the lives of many individuals who you may never meet – individuals with sickle cell disease, moms with complicated childbirths, people battling cancer, those with chronic health conditions such as heart disease, individuals with traumatic injuries from accidents, and many more.
After each blood donation, your unit of blood is sent to a Red Cross lab to determine your blood type and Rh factor, undergo infectious disease testing and may also be screened for sickle cell trait.
During a recent blood donation, you may have received notification from the Red Cross that your screening indicated the presence of Hemoglobin S, a key indicator of sickle cell trait. The results of this screening are only a preliminary sign that your red blood cells contain Hemoglobin S. We encourage you to discuss the screening results with your healthcare provider. You may also find the resources on this page helpful to learn more about this important health screening.
How to Contact the Red Cross
If you would like to speak with the Red Cross about your screening results, you can contact us by email or phone. You can call the Red Cross toll-free at 866-236-3276 to speak with a donor counselor. When calling, select option 1 from the automated menu.
What Else Should I know
- Sickle cell trait is inherited, and many people are not aware they carry this trait.
- Sickle cell trait is not sickle cell disease and it can never become sickle cell disease.
- Most individuals with sickle cell trait are still eligible to donate blood, but may be excluded from donating Power Red Cells, which is an automated red cell collection process.
Where Can I Go to Learn More?
The Red Cross encourages you to seek out additional information about sickle cell trait and what a positive screening result may mean for you.
- Speak with your healthcare provider
- Visit the Center for Disease Control sickle cell resource center
- Reach out to your local chapter of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America
- Find an organization in your community that may offer additional resources