Sporting Kansas City and Community Blood Center will continue a longstanding partnership when the two organizations team up to host a blood drive from 12-6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 2nd, at Children’s Mercy Park.
The blood drive will take place inside the Budweiser Brew House, located at the intersection of Village West Parkway and France Family Drive, in the northeast corner of Children’s Mercy Park (1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, KS 66111).
Community members can make an appointment for the blood drive online or by calling 1-877-468-6844. Appointments for the blood drive are strongly encouraged, and walk-ins will only be accepted as capacity safely allows.
Sporting Kansas City and Community Blood Center have partnered to host blood drives together since 1998. This blood drive comes amid an emergency call for donors, as the blood supply in the Kansas City area has dropped to dangerously low levels.
Summer is historically the worst season for donations. The Community Blood Centers see donations drop as people leave for vacation, and the need for donations increases. Summer is frequently referred to as “trauma season” due to the large number of accidents, trauma cases, and emergency room visits.
“We’re calling on all eligible blood donors, especially type O-negative and platelet donors, to show up for their neighbors this summer by making an appointment to donate blood as we enter trauma season,” said Chelsey Smith, Director of Public Relations at Community Blood Center.
Community Blood Center is urging community members to donate as the local blood supply has dropped to a critical 1-2-day supply, which is well below the ideal 7-10-day inventory needed to ensure hospitals are fully prepared for both routine and unexpected patient needs. Type O donors are especially needed. O-negative blood is vital for trauma cases when there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type, and O-positive -- being the most common blood type -- is heavily relied upon for surgeries, cancer treatments and routine medical care.
Blood donors can give every 56 days and platelet donors can give twice per month. The Food and Drug Administration recently lifted eligibility restrictions for individuals who lived in Europe during certain periods of time. To view current eligibility guidelines, visit savealifenow.org or call 1-800-688-0900.
About Community Blood Center
Founded in 1958, Community Blood Center (CBC) has served Kansas and Missouri for more than 65 years, delivering more than 150,000 lifesaving blood products annually to 70+ hospitals, EMS and healthcare partners. CBC is part of , which spans 17+ states and delivers one million blood products to 400+ U.S. hospitals annually. NYBCe additionally delivers cellular therapies, specialty pharmacy, and medical services to 200+ research, academic and biomedical organizations. NYBCe’s Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute is a leader in hematology and transfusion medicine research, dedicated to the study, prevention, treatment, and cure of bloodborne and blood-related diseases. CBC serves as a vital community lifeline dedicated to helping patients and advancing global public health. To learn more, visit savealifenow.org.
