Media contact: Keith Paul
Regional Communications Director
keith.paul@redcross.org | 702-400-7680
LAS VEGAS (May 25, 2023) — The American Red Cross of Southern Nevada is urging the community to donate blood so that emergency teams and hospitals will be ready for Memorial Day weekend, one of the deadliest weekends for traffics accidents nationwide. The availability of blood for transfusions is crucial to saving lives and supporting trauma victims.
"Blood must be on hand to successfully treat many trauma victims,” explained Dr. Walter Kelley, Divisional Chief Medical Officer for the Pacific, Rocky Mountain, and Southwest Divisions of the American Red Cross. “A single car accident patient can require as many as 100 units of blood, so we want to help make sure our hospitals have that lifesaving blood available when it’s needed most.”
And a single major accident with injuries can quickly deplete a hospital’s blood supply, said Rachel Flanigan, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Southern Nevada Chapter. “So it’s important donors of all types give now,” she said. “And the need for O negative blood, the universal blood type, is particularly critical so that trauma centers have sufficient stock on hand when there’s no time to determine a patient’s blood type.”
The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that over this holiday weekend, there will be more than 50,000 injuries from preventable traffic crashes. “We hear it all the time, but if a loved one tells you to ‘drive safe,’ even out of habit, please do,” said Mark Chung, executive vice president of roadway practice at NSC. “We can’t stress enough the importance of taking safety seriously – and personally – especially on the roads during holidays.”
It is estimated that more than 37 million Americans are expected to travel by automobile this weekend.
“Las Vegas is always a popular tourist destination, putting more cars and trucks on area roads,” Flanigan said. “Donating blood now will help keep the local and national blood supply stocked for use this coming weekend.”
The Red Cross supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood and collecting about 12,500 blood and 3,000 platelet donations every day to meet demand. “Our donors are literally the life blood for those undergoing medical procedures and treatments at about 2,500 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide,” said Flanigan. “Any of us could be in an accident and suffer a traumatic injury requiring a transfusion; yet, in the U.S., where 62% of the population is eligible to give, only about 3% does. We’d like to increase that percentage by Memorial Day.”
Give now and help save lives
Schedule an appointment today by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Give blood by May 31, 2023, and receive an exclusive Red Cross beach towel, while supplies last, and be automatically entered for a chance to win a trip for two to the 2023 MLB® All-Star Game® in Seattle. Details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Fanatics.
Learn more from the National Safety Council
As America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate for more than 100 years, the National Safety Council impacts safety related to the workplace, roadways, and preventing impaired driving. For more information, go to nsc.org. For additional Memorial Day holiday fatality estimates and motor vehicle data and research: injuryfacts.nsc.org.
About the American Red Cross
The 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 nonprofit organization depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.