Residents of Bucks County now have a permanent location to contribute blood to the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania.
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Earlier this month, the nonprofit opened its first fixed site donation center in the county at 100 North Bucks Town Drive, Suite 204, in Middletown Township’s Langhorne section.
The American Red Cross Blood Donation Center has begun accepting blood and platelet donations to aid a variety of patients, including those with cancer, accident victims, transplant recipients, and individuals living with sickle cell disease.
Blood transfusions are vital for their survival and only possible through volunteer donors, according to the American Red Cross.
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Jennifer Graham, regional CEO for the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania, celebrated the community opening of the center and pointed to the importance of donating.
“From mothers experiencing childbirth complications to those facing trauma situations in the emergency room, many of us may be connected to someone who has relied on lifesaving blood products,” said Graham. “The Red Cross is pleased to offer donors this new opportunity to help provide hope, healing and access to treatment for patients in need.”
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Platelets, which are essential for clotting and particularly critical for cancer patients, must be replenished constantly due to their short lifespan of just five days.
One of the aims of the center is to meet the ongoing high demand for platelet donations, according to the nonprofit.
The center’s opening comes at a time when the demand for blood has increased significantly across the nation, rising by 5 to 25 percent over the past four years, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
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The new donation facility will operate alongside ongoing Red Cross blood drives across Bucks County.
The center is open for donations on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:45 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursdays from 10:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Saturdays from 7:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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Those wishing to donate can schedule an appointment through the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or use the Blood Donor Skill on Alexa Echo devices.
Eligibility criteria for donating blood includes being at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weighing a minimum of 110 pounds, and being in generally good health.
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Donors can expedite their visit by completing a pre-donation health history questionnaire via RapidPass or on the day of donation.
For more details or to start the process, visit RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.
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