Burlington Health Department Hosts Blood Drive Friday to Combat National Shortage

The Alamance County Health Department on North Graham-Hopedale Road opened its doors Friday for a Red Cross blood drive running from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., offering Burlington residents a direct way to respond to what federal health officials have called a severe national emergency.

The American Red Cross declared a severe blood shortage after the national blood supply fell about 35% over the past month. The flu has overburdened hospitals, and the shortage means they are being forced to triage critical blood products. The stakes extend well beyond statistics: patients who rely on transfusions, including trauma victims, mothers in childbirth, and people with sickle cell disease or cancer, face serious risk without an immediate influx of donations.

The timing of this drive matters. This March, the Red Cross has urged donors to help the national blood supply recover following the severe shortage, with donors of all blood types remaining critical to keeping the supply steady headed into spring. Some parts of the nation are still clearing snow, but the threat of severe spring weather is already growing, making now the time to book a donation appointment to help prevent any future disruption to patient care.

Winter storms forced the cancellation of more than 500 blood drives and left about 20,000 blood and platelet donations uncollected since late January, on top of more than 400 blood drives canceled the month before due to severe weather. Community-level drives like the one at the Alamance County Health Department are how that deficit gets rebuilt, one unit at a time.

Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds, and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. A blood donor card, driver's license, or two other forms of identification are required at check-in.

Appointments can be scheduled through the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Those who give blood, platelets, or plasma in March will receive a $15 Amazon gift card by email.

The Alamance County Health Department is located at 319 North Graham-Hopedale Road in Burlington.