Find a Blood Drive
Find a Blood Drive
The American Red Cross and WCSC Live 5 News invite Charleston community members to make a lifesaving impact by giving blood.
The Live 5 News blood drive is Tuesday, Sept. 13 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the center court of Citadel Mall, 2070 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. All presenting donors will receive a coupon by email for a free haircut at participating Sport Clips locations.
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood or platelets. Here in the South Carolina Blood Services Region, about 500 donations are needed every day to meet the needs of patients in about 50 hospitals.
Blood donors of all types, especially those with types AB, O negative, A negative and B negative, are needed to ensure that blood is available whenever and wherever needed. As the universal blood type, type O negative donors are an important part of the Red Cross trauma team. Because type O negative blood can be transfused to patients of any blood type, it is what emergency room personnel reach for when there is no time to determine the blood type of patients in the most serious situations.
Blood and platelets are needed for many different reasons. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, or cancer may all need blood.
To make an appointment, call 1-800-RED CROSS, visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: Live5, or download the Red Cross Blood Donor App.
How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.