MEDIA ALERT: Baltimore Orioles, MedStar Health and the American Red Cross team up for Sickle Cell Awareness Month Blood Drive

What:             Sickle Cell Awareness Month blood drive with the Baltimore Orioles, Red Cross and MedStar Health

When:            Sept. 16, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (media window from 11 a.m. to noon)

Where:           The Warehouse at Camden Yards, 6^th floor

                        333 West Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Roughly every two and a half minutes, someone with sickle cell disease arrives at a U.S. emergency room – and nearly 2 out of 3 times, they’re in severe pain. In those critical moments, the availability of lifesaving blood can mean the difference between uncertainty and assurance when transfusion treatment is needed.

September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month, and the Baltimore Orioles have teamed up with MedStar Health, the Orioles trusted medical provider, and the American Red Cross for a blood drive to help ensure blood products are available for patients in need.

The blood drive will take place at the Warehouse at Camden Yards, 6th floor, on Tuesday Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (333 West Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201).  Media are invited to attend from 11 a.m. to noon. The Oriole Bird will also be there to cheer on our blood donors.

“We see firsthand the devastating impact of sickle cell disease every day in our hospitals and clinics,” said Bradley S. Chambers, senior vice president, and chief operating officer for the Baltimore region, MedStar Health. “The decision to donate blood is a decision to give sickle cell patients and those battling many other health challenges a piece of their life back. Please join us, the Baltimore Orioles, and the American Red Cross in this critical mission to improve the health of our communities.”

“The stories of people living with sickle cell disease stay with you — they’re powerful, and often heartbreaking,” said Orioles Executive Vice President of Public Affairs Kerry R. Watson, Jr. “This blood drive is about raising awareness and saving lives in our city and region. While we encourage everyone to donate, it is especially critical for people of African descent to give blood, because transfusions from closely matched donors are one of the most effective treatments for patients living with this disease.”

To make an appointment to donate, please go to RedCrossBlood.org and enter code ORIOLESSCAWARENESS in the zip code box.

The Orioles will also share information about Sickle Cell Disease and the critical part that blood donations play in treatment of the disease on the jumbotron at Thursday’s game (Sept. 18) against the New York Yankees – which is HBCU and Divine Nine night at the ballpark.

#TeamUp4SickleCell

Roughly 100,000 people in the U.S., most of whom are of African descent, are living with sickle cell disease – the most common inherited blood disorder in the country. Regular blood transfusions are critical to the manage extreme pain and life-threatening complications that come with Sickle Cell, and those who live with the disease can need up to 100 transfusions in a single year.

For patients with Sickle Cell disease, blood donors who are Black are almost 3 times more likely to be a match for the blood most commonly needed for transfusions.

Whether blood is needed for a chronic condition, such as sickle cell disease, a surgical procedure or a large-scale emergency, it’s the blood already on the shelves that helps save lives, and a diverse base of blood donors is needed to help the diverse patients who depend on it.

Blood donor eligibility

To donate blood, a Red Cross blood donor card, driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. 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. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

A little care goes a long way

All who come to give by Sept. 21 will receive an exclusive Red Cross x PEANUTS mystery bag with one of four special T-shirt designs, while supplies last. Thousands of golden tickets are also randomly hidden in mystery bags throughout the country. Donors who find a golden ticket when they open their bag can redeem it through an online form for all four T-shirts.

Additionally, all who come to give Sept. 22-Oct. 19, 2025, will receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card by email. Visit RedCrossBlood.org/Fall for details. 

About the Baltimore Orioles:

Since moving to Baltimore in 1954, the Orioles have become an institution in the city they call home. Over the past 70 years, the Baltimore Orioles have become one of the most storied franchises in all of Major League Baseball, winning three World Series Championships, 10 Division Titles, with the most recent coming in 2023, and calling The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball™ home. The Orioles are proud to give back to the community, focusing their year-round philanthropic efforts on two distinct pillars: Strengthening Our Community and Empowering Our Youth, while generating more than $10 billion in economic impact since 1992, and acting as a catalyst for tourism for the City of Baltimore and State of Maryland.

About MedStar Health:

At MedStar Health, we use the best of our minds and the best of our hearts to serve our patients, those who care for them, and our communities. Our 30,000 associates and 4,000 affiliated physicians are committed to living this promise through our core SPIRIT values—Service, Patient first, Integrity, Respect, Innovation, and Teamwork—across our more than 300 locations including 10 hospitals, ambulatory, and urgent care centers. As the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University, MedStar Health is training future physician leaders to care for the whole person, and is advancing care through the MedStar Health Research Institute. From our telemedicine and urgent care services to the region’s largest home health agency, we’re committed to providing high-quality health care that’s also easy and convenient for our patients. At MedStar Health—It’s how we treat people. Learn more at MedStarHealth.org.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcrossblood.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on social media.

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