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African Americans, Latinos Needed as Blood Donors

May 14, 2019Health, Local NewsComments Off on African Americans, Latinos Needed as Blood Donors

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LaDeodra Drummond donates blood at the Rayburn House Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. in June 2017. About of half of African Americans have type O blood, which is used in emergencies. Photo by Jeanette Ortiz-Osorio/American Red Cross

About half of all African Americans and more than half the Latino population in the United States have type O blood, which the American Red Cross said is in critical shortage nationwide, including Monroe and neighboring counties.

Type O positive blood is the most transfused blood type.  Type O negative is the universal blood type and can be transfused to patients of any other blood type. Because of its versatility, it is routinely in short supply.

“Blood type, like eye color, is an inherited trait passed genetically to us from our parents,” said Patty Corvaia, communications manager for the American Red Cross New York-Penn Blood Services Region. “Having a readily available and diverse blood supply is important to meeting the medical needs of all patients. That’s why the American Red Cross encourages eligible blood donors of all races and ethnicities to give blood.”

The American Red Cross is the primary supplier of blood for all the hospitals in the greater Rochester area. Hospitals in the UR Medicine and Rochester Regional Health systems receive blood from the Red  Cross. There is less than a two-day supply of type O available for emergency rooms, where it’s used when hospital staff doesn’t have time to determine a patient’s blood type.

Type O is considered the universal blood type because it can be given to anyone regardless of the person’s blood type. Photo by Sanford Myers/American Red Cross

Nationally, the Red Cross collected approximately 11,500 fewer type O blood donations than needed to sustain a sufficient blood supply. Spring break schedules and the end of the school year for colleges and high schools mean fewer blood drives, so fewer units of all blood types are collected.

Through June 10, donors will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email.

Donors can make an appointment by calling  (800) REDCROSS. Blood drives  can be found by going to  RedCrossBlood.org and entering your ZIP code. Walk-ins often are accepted at donation centers:

  • Buckman’s Plaza, 2590 West Ridge Road, Greece.  11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday;  7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
  • Perinton Hills Shopping Center, 6687 Pittsford-Palmyra Road, Perinton, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday;  7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday;  11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday.
  • 50 Prince Street, Rochester.  11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday; 9 a.m. to 1 pm., second and fourth Friday of each month, . 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., first and third Saturday.
  • 825 John Street, Henrietta. 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday; 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday
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