Skip to main content

Red Cross Offers Chance to Win Super Bowl 2022 Tickets Amid Blood Shortage

 

Red Cross Offers Chance to Win Super Bowl 2022 Tickets Amid Blood Shortage



Jan. 13, 2022 -- The American Red Cross is hoping to entice blood donors this month by offering a chance to win tickets to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles or a home theater package, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The nonprofit, which provides 40% of the country’s blood, said supply is at historically low levels. With a 10% overall decline in people giving blood during the pandemic and a 60% drop in blood drives at schools and colleges, this marks the worst blood shortage in more than a decade.

“The crisis is so severe that we are having to limit the amount of blood that can be sent to hospitals,” Emily Coberly, MD, Red Cross divisional medical director, told the newspaper.

Low blood supply can affect patient care, which is particularly urgent during the ongoing pandemic. Coberly said she has seen multiple examples of people with cancer who couldn’t receive transfusions on their scheduled treatment days.

“The dangerously low blood supply levels have forced some hospitals to defer patients from major surgery, including organ transplants,” the Red Cross said in a statement on Tuesday.

In recent weeks, the Red Cross had less than a one-day supply of critical blood types and has had to limit distributions to hospitals. At times, as much as one-quarter of hospital blood needs are not being met, the group said.

The blood shortage became particularly noticeable in fall 2021, the Journal reported. Demand increased as hospitals scheduled procedures that had been deferred or delayed since the beginning of the pandemic.

“I think for those hospitals that are trauma centers, they are really keeping a close eye on their overall supply level to make sure that they have enough,” Akin Demehin, director of policy at the American Hospital Association, told the newspaper.

“It is an aspect of our nation’s overall health that is in the hands of everybody and not just health care providers,” he said.

The Red Cross is asking people to donate platelets and all blood types, particularly Type O.

Donors who give blood, platelets, or plasma during January, which is also National Blood Donor Month, will automatically be entered into the drawing for two Super Bowl tickets. The winner will also receive round-trip airfare to Los Angeles, a 3-night hotel stay for Feb. 11-14, entry to the official NFL Tailgate, and a $500 gift card.

Donors will also be entered to win a home theater package, which includes a short-throw laser projector, projector screen, sound bar, subwoofer, gift card for tech support with installation, and a $500 e-gift card.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Some evidence shows omicron appears in your throat first. Should at-home Covid tests change?

  Some evidence shows omicron appears in your throat first. Should at-home Covid tests change? As omicron cases continue to sweep the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is being urged to gather more information about how well at-home Covid-19 tests are able to detect the variant. Evidence suggests the omicron variant of the virus may appear in the throat before it shows up in the nose. For this reason, there’s been pressure on the FDA to recommend swabbing the throat with the nasal swabs. But medical experts argue that anecdotes from people who test negative with a nasal swab at home but then test positive with a throat swab can be misleading. FDA officials say there isn’t enough data to support the practice.  “We do know the tests are picking up on omicron, but with less sensitivity,” acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said during a Senate Health Committee hearing Tuesday. “What we need to do is to see whether the throat swab could provide more sensitivit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Getting COVID on Purpose Is a Dangerous Idea

  Why Getting COVID on Purpose Is a Dangerous Idea Jan. 13, 2022 -- As COVID-19 cases from Omicron in the United States have skyrocketed to what seems like new records every other day, speculation is rising among some experts and scientific novices alike that infection for many seems unavoidable. MORE FROM THE WEBMD NEWSROOMl Asthma, Pneumonia and Other Lung Diseases Explained Symptoms of Coronavirus What Happens When You Get Coronavirus? In a Senate hearing Tuesday, acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, MD, even told the panel, "most people are going to get COVID." In mid-December, World Health Organization Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said vaccines alone won't protect us against Omicron. In late December, an epidemiologist told BBC News: "We have to be realistic; we are not going to stop Omicron." Now, posts are popping up on social media resurrecting ideas similar to chickenpox parties, where you intentionally mingle with infected people. One r...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to use a gym trial to sign up new members

  How to use a gym trial to sign up new members As a gym, the ongoing challenge to find new members is real. A tried and tested method for attracting new members is a gym trial. Free and paid gym trials both have advantages and disadvantages. But, how do you not only get customers to sign up for your gym trial but actually keep them coming back after one visit? Several factors influence the success of your gym trial. Do your visitors get what they expect from you on their first visit? Are you attracting the right kind of customers to your gym trial offer? These are key questions you need to ask yourself. By breaking down the process of using a gym trial, we can begin to understand how you can effectively sign up members in your business. Implementing the right approach for your business is key to a successful gym trial.  In this article we will look at what a gym trial is, factors to consider when using a gym trial and how to use a gym trial successfully.  Skip ahead to: ...
Post a Comment
Read more