SACRAMENTO, CA, October 14, 2020 – To help meet the ongoing need for blood donations, the California Gold Country Region of the American Red Cross will hold the Sleeves Up Blood Drive and Fundraising Event on Friday, October 23 from 11 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the home of the Sacramento River Cats, Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.
The event can accommodate up to 100 blood donors and has a fundraising goal of at least $50,000 to support local Red Cross biomedical services.
Special thanks to the following sponsors for their generous support: Sutter Health, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, the Sacramento River Cats, Reliable GMC, Port of Stockton, UC Davis and SMUD.
Register to donate blood or make a financial donation here.
Blood donors will get a free t-shirt the day of the blood drive, along with a voucher for two guests at a River Cats game during the 2021 season.
“The American Red Cross is dedicated to serving those in need during emergencies of all types. Our blood services team is working hard to serve hospitals and patients who need lifesaving blood. We are so grateful to our partners and donors who are joining us for Sleeves Up,” said Regional Executive Gary Strong.
BLOOD DONATION SAFETY INFORMATION
The Red Cross is testing blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. The test may indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether they developed symptoms.
Red Cross antibody tests will be helpful to identify individuals who have COVID-19 antibodies and may qualify to be convalescent plasma donors. Convalescent plasma is a type of blood donation collected from COVID-19 survivors that have antibodies that may help patients who are actively fighting the virus. Donors can expect to receive the results of their antibody test within 7 to 10 days through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or the donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.
The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness, referred to as a diagnostic test. To protect the health and safety of Red Cross staff and donors, it is important that individuals who do not feel well or believe they may be ill with COVID-19 postpone donation.
Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including temperature checks, social distancing and face coverings for donors and staff – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive and are required to wear a face covering or mask while