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Tag: blood drive

  • Upcoming Citrus Heights blood drive to also test for COVID-19 antibodies

    Image by Antonio Corigliano from Pixabay

    Sentinel staff report–
    An April 1 blood drive in Citrus Heights will be held on Van Maren Lane, with organizers saying donations “matter now more than ever” due to many blood drives being cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic.

    The blood drive is operated by Vitalant and will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 7009 Van Maren Lane in Citrus Heights. As of March 25, 15-minute appointment times for the upcoming blood drive were mostly still unfilled between 2:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

    “All blood and platelet donations are tested for COVID-19 antibodies,” Vitalant says on its website. “We’ll let you know your results, and how you can help patients fighting the virus.”

    The testing will let donors know if they may have had the coronavirus but were asymptomatic, and Vitalant also says blood donations with COVID-19 antibodies can be used to help COVID patients.

    According to Vitalant’s website, all blood drives follow CDC guidelines and donors will be required to have their temperature checked, maintain six-foot social distancing, and wear masks. The organization also says “continuous sanitation” practices are in place, with one-time use collection sets being used and wipe-downs of all high-touch areas required after each collection.

    Appointments to donate blood can be scheduled online at donors.vitalant.org.

  • Blood donations have ‘drastically’ dropped amid COVID-19 pandemic

    Sentinel staff report–
    An emergency blood drive has been organized in Citrus Heights for April 23, with organizers citing a nationwide drop of about 200,000 blood donations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The drive is hosted by Vitalant and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which will hold the drive at their Citrus Heights stake, located at 7009 Van Maren Ln. Appointments are required, due to social distancing policy.

    Available appointment times listed on Vitalant’s website for the April 23 drive range from 2:45 to 5:45 p.m. Additional safety and COVID-19 mitigation protocols are listed below:

    • Donors must be healthy and feeling well at the time of donation.
    • All donors will have their temperature taken before being permitted into the donor area. If a donor has a temperature greater than 99.5°F they will be asked to donate another time instead.
    • Donor beds will be sanitized between each and every donor.
    • Staff will wear gloves throughout the entire blood drive, changing gloves between each donor.

    All donors will receive a free blood donor t-shirt. Appointments can be scheduled online by clicking here.

  • Weekend blood drive taking place in Citrus Heights on April 27-28

    Sentinel staff report–
    A weekend blood drive will be held across from Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights this Saturday and Sunday, with donors to be offered a $10 Fandango movie voucher as a “thank you” for giving blood.

    Vitalant, formerly known locally as BloodSource, will hold the blood drive in front of the Men’s Wearhouse at 6177 Sunrise Blvd. Blood donations will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 27 and noon to 4 p.m. on April 28.

    To be eligible as a whole blood donor, participants must be at least 18 years old — or as young as 16 with a signed parental consent form — weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, and “be in good general health.” Donors also need to bring a photo ID.

    Parental consent forms and additional information about eligibility for other types of donations are available at Vitalant’s website.

  • Weekend blood drive at Sunrise Mall seeks to draw donors

    BloodSource Blood Mobiles in Citrus Heights Sunrise Mall
    A “Blood Mobile” parked outside Sunrise Mall during a prior blood drive. // Courtesy, BloodSource

    Local gift shoppers have an opportunity to give a “heart-felt” gift this weekend, during BloodSource’s seasonal blood drive in the Sunrise Mall parking lot.

    Teaming up with 98 Rock to offer a free t-shirt to donors, “Blood Mobiles” will be set up near the Elephant Bar parking lot in an effort to help infuse blood supplies during a customarily low donation season. The blood drive is scheduled for Friday from noon to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    “The holiday season typically sees a dip in blood donations, but the need for constant blood supply remains the same,” BloodSource Public Relations Manager Alexander Sigua previously told The Sentinel. He said the organization strives to draw an average of 700 pints of blood each day in order to meet the needs of patients across Northern and Central California.

    Sigua cited a variety of reasons for the seasonal downturn, like potential donors’ minds being focused on holiday shopping and travel, but stressed it’s “critically important” for generous donors to roll up their sleeves this time of year to provide for those in need.

    Last year’s Thanksgiving weekend blood drive drew around 550 donors, including 66 who had never donated before, according to Sigua.

    In addition to blood drives, BloodSource regularly accepts donations at more than a dozen centers around the state, with the closest being in Fair Oaks. The Sacramento-based nonprofit helps provide blood to over 40 hospitals and 30 counties in Northern and Central California, according to its website.

    —
    Flier: http://www.sunrisemallonline.com/event/bloodsource-blood-drive-at-sunrise-mall/2145460942

  • Citrus Heights This Month: What’s happening in August

    Citrus Heights This Month: What’s happening in August

    Signs_city_20150110_151012

    Looking for some local August events going on in Citrus Heights? Here’s a snapshot view of some upcoming events in town:

    August 4: On Tuesday night, neighborhood groups around the country — including at least 13 in Citrus Heights — will host a variety of outdoor get-togethers to take part in the 2015 National Night Out. The 32nd annual event is a country-wide effort to help prevent crime by connecting neighbors and building local partnerships between communities and police.

    [Learn more: Citrus Heights residents, police prep for National Night Out]

    August 7: On Friday, the Citrus Town Center will host its final kids camp of the summer season, featuring a “Princess and Pirate Party” theme. The event will be from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the town center’s shopping plaza at the corner of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Boulevard, with free mini-train rides until 2 p.m. afterwards.

    August 8: On Saturday night, the Citrus Town Center will host a free showing of the PG-rated “Strange Magic” animated movie, the last film of the season for the Center’s annual outdoor summer movie series. The showing will begin at dusk between the Dress Barn and Marshall’s stores, near the corner of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Boulevard.

    August 10: On Monday, the Citrus Heights Police Activities League (PAL) will host a picnic event at the Rusch Park swimming pool from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The local nonprofit focuses on creating positive relationships between police officers and youth through hosting local events and activities. (See flier)

    August 11: On Tuesday, the local Citrus Heights chapter of SCORE will host a free workshop on “How to develop an idea into a business.” The workshop will be held from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at 6501 Sylvan Rd., in the Small Business Administration building. (Registration link)
    Tuesday, 8/11, is also National Safe Digging Day — a day to raise awareness to possible dangers of digging and the importance of calling 8-1-1 before opening up the ground in a backyard or elsewhere. In July, Citrus Heights council members passed a resolution supporting the day.

    August 15: Hot August Bites will again take over Rusch Park for a second annual night of entertainment, live music, food, raffles and swimming. The event premiered for the first time in 2014, and will take place this year from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (See event flier)

    August 21-23: From Friday to Sunday, BloodSource will be holding a blood drive at Sunrise Mall in the Elephant Bar parking lot. The blood drive’s hours will be from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

    August 22: Saturday will feature the 6th annual Veterans Appreciation Picnic and resource fair at Rusch Park. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is hosted by the GFWC Citrus Heights Women’s Club and the American Legion Post 637.

    August 25: Congressman Ami Bera will reportedly be hosting a town hall event at the Citrus Heights Community Center on Tuesday. Stay tuned for additional details.

    August 28: On Friday, Sacramento County Supervisor Roberta Macglashan will be holding her monthly “Community Cabinet” meeting at the Denny’s on the corner of Sunrise Avenue and Greenback Lane at 7:30 a.m. The supervisor and former Citrus Heights council member typically provides an update for residents on County issues affecting Citrus Heights and features a speaker from one of the various County agencies.

    August 29: Saturday will feature the annual Safety Fair at the Citrus Town Center, with kids activities, fire trucks, safety displays and more. Stay tuned for more.
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  • Sunrise Mall blood drive offers donors free State Fair tickets

    blood mobile, blood source
    A Blood Source “bloodmobile” out at Sunrise Mall during a blood drive earlier this year.

    In exchange for giving a pint of blood at a “bloodmobile” station at Sunrise Mall this weekend, donors will be able to redeem a free ticket to the California State Fair — part of the latest effort to help a local nonprofit boost blood supplies.

    Setting up four times a year in the Mall’s Elephant Bar parking lot, BloodSource relies on such blood drives to help achieve its goal of drawing about 700 pints a day to supply over 40 hospitals in Northern and Central California with blood, according to BloodSource Public Relations Manager Alexander Sigua.

    BloodSource uses a variety of promotional offers during their blood drives, with the organization’s most recent February drive offering two free tickets to a Sacramento Kings game. Staff said the previous drive drew more than 100 pints of blood in the first six hours, with “quite a few” pints coming from new donors as well.

    Although it can take about an hour to donate, BloodSource’s Gayle Graves said each blood donation helps save “at least three lives.”

    “So many times you’re asked to give money for so many different things,” Graves told The Sentinel during the past blood drive in February. “This doesn’t cost you a thing, it just costs an hour of your time.”

    The California State Fair will be held at Cal Expo from July 10 through 26. BloodSource says donors giving blood this weekend will receive 200 “MyBloodSource” points which can be redeemed online for a free ticket to the Fair.
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    —
    Blood drive info:
    June 19-21, 2015
    When:
    Friday: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
    Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    Where: Sunrise Mall (Elephant Bar parking lot)

  • Weekend blood drive draws new donors with free Kings tickets

    Updated Feb. 23, 1:05 p.m.–
    Over the weekend, local blood donors were able to pick up a pair of free tickets to a Sacramento Kings game in exchange for giving a pint of blood at one of the “bloodmobile” stations in the Sunrise Mall parking lot.

    Sunrise mall blood drive, blood source. Photo by Luke Otterstad
    Signs out on Sunrise Boulevard advertise BloodSource’s weekend blood drive.

    “So many times you’re asked to give money for so many different things,” said BloodSource’s Gayle Graves, who was out welcoming people and giving donors free ticket vouchers, Friday. “This doesn’t cost you a thing, it just costs an hour of your time.”

    According to staff, the first 6 hours on Friday drew over 100 pints of blood, along with “quite a few” new donors — which Graves credits to the Kings ticket promotional, as well as heavy visibility out at the Mall.

    That visibility is what 25-year-old Samantha Stone said drew her out to a bloodmobile during the weekend drive.

    “I actually didn’t even know about it,” said Stone, who has donated several times in the past. “I just saw the signs driving by and decided to stop.”

    According to the organization’s website, BloodSource is a Sacramento-based nonprofit primarily serving over 40 hospitals and 30 counties in Northern and Central California — and it holds several blood drives at the Sunrise Mall each year to help keep supplies up.

    Each blood donation helps save “at least three lives,” according to Graves, fitting with the message on the side of her bloodmobiles: “Give us an hour. Save a life.”

    The weekend event was was held on February 20-22 in the Elephant Bar parking lot, and is one of four blood drives conducted each year at the Mall, according to Graves.