Red Cross hosts holiday blood drive in Cedar Rapids amid emergency shortage

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – This month, a holiday blood drive will be held in Cedar Rapids to help with the current blood shortage.

Cedar Rapids Holiday Blood Drive

• Wednesday, December 22, 2021
• 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Cedar Rapids Marriott
• 1200 Collins Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

By downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or activating the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device, you may schedule an appointment to give blood, platelets, or plasma to the Red Cross. When scheduling an appointment online, use the sponsor code CRCommunity.

While supplies last, everybody who donates blood between December 17 and January 2 will get a special Red Cross long-sleeved T-shirt.

Holiday schedules, school holidays, and cold weather all contribute to a decrease in blood and platelet donations at this time of year.

It is essential for donors to schedule an appointment as soon as possible because some patients requiring a transfusion may face delays in care.

There is no waiting time for individuals who have gotten a flu shot or a Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine or booster and are symptom-free.