Get Paid By Donating Blood In Marina Del Rey: Red Cross

MARINA DEL REY, CA —In the hopes of alleviating what it says is the worst blood shortage in more than a decade, the American Red Cross announced Monday that anyone who donates blood, platelet or plasma in February will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.

The Red Cross announced this promotion to try to attract blood donations amid a pandemic-driven blood shortage. The pandemic and its resulting blood drive cancellations and staffing limitations have contributed to a 10 percent decline in the number of people donating blood, and a 62 percent drop in blood drives at schools and colleges, the Red Cross said.

The organization also noted in a recent release that recent extreme winter weather all over the country has also contributed to what it is calling a "crisis."

"Our inventory is at crisis levels," Raahima Shoaib Yazdani, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross' Los Angeles Region, told City News Service in a previous interview. "Right now, doctors are being forced to decide which patients receive blood transfusions and who must wait."

The Red Cross said blood and platelet donations are needed to prevent further delays in medical treatments, and urged all donors, particularly those with type O blood, to donate.

"If the nation's blood supply does not stabilize soon, life-saving blood may not be available for some patients when it is needed," the Red Cross said in a joint statement with America's Blood Centers and the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies.

Appointments to give blood are available on the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting redcrossblood.org, or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767.)

Residents are also encouraged to download the American Red Cross App to help schedule appointments.

- City News Service contributed to this report.