Thursday, April 25, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
OGDENSBURG - This January marks the 52nd anniversary of National Blood Donor Month, and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center (CHMC) urges our community to donate blood this month or in the upcoming winter …
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OGDENSBURG - This January marks the 52nd anniversary of National Blood Donor Month, and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center (CHMC) urges our community to donate blood this month or in the upcoming winter months.
CHMC is hosting an American Red Cross (ARC) blood drive on Thursday, Feb. 17 in the Hess Auditorium. To register for this blood drive or any other upcoming blood drive in the North Country, donors are urged to schedule an appointment now by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS.
Presently, there is no blood donation waiting period for those who have received a flu shot or a Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine or booster, so long as they are symptom-free. Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest safety and infection control standards. Additional precautions – including face masks for donors and staff, regardless of vaccination status – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment before arriving at the drive.
CHMC is proactive in maintaining its blood supply by hosting five ARC blood drives in 2021. Through those blood drives, CHMC collected 130 units and potentially saved 390 lives.
Margaret Dean, employee of CHMC’s lab, walks the blood donor talk by reaching a donation milestone in 2021 of personally donating 6 gallons of blood during her lifetime.
“There have only been two times that I remember my blood being sent out of state. Every other time it goes to a hospital in the state. I have even had my blood go as close as Massena and even Syracuse. So when they donate, if they donate, it will stay in the state and might make it back close to a loved one here,” stated Dean.
To ensure the safety of both patients and donors, there are some requirements donors must meet to be eligible to donate blood based on their donation type. For more information on how you can help the U.S. blood supply and your local community, sign up to become a regular blood donor at https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood.
For more information about upcoming blood drives at CHMC, visit www.claxtonhepburn.org.
