Your blood donation is needed to save lives.

COVID19 has put a halt to many things, but it hasn’t halted the need for blood. Hospitals throughout our area need blood to treat trauma and burn patients, premature infants, heart surgery patients, organ transplant recipients and people fighting cancer. All these patients require blood transfusions to recover, heal and thrive. Hospitals rely on the generosity of blood donors to provide this life-saving gift.

In Western Pennsylvania, including Venango County, nearly 600 blood drives were cancelled since April 1, 2020 due to the pandemic. As a result, 19,000 anticipated blood donations were lost. Please consider donating blood at the upcoming Community Blood Drive in Venango County:

You can visit Vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825) to save your spot.

While all blood types are needed, there’s an urgent need for type O blood donations.

All blood donations are tested for COVID-19 antibodies. This will let you know if you had COVID-19 in the past — even if you had no symptoms – and help identify convalescent plasma donors. Donors whose blood tests positive for antibodies can help a COVID-19 patient with their plasma, while their other blood components could help additional patients. For additional information about convalescent plasma please visit vitalant.org/COVIDRescueTeam.

The U.S. Surgeon General and FEMA declared blood, platelet and convalescent plasma donation as essential activities during the pandemic. Patients continue to depend on blood transfusions every day. All Vitalant blood drives and donation centers follow strict protocols to ensure the safety of donors, patients and staff, including checking temperatures, social distancing, requiring face masks and consistent sanitizing.