For the Gazette
WAUSAU – When patients living with sickle cell disease face a sickle cell crisis, blood transfusions can make a lifesaving difference. That’s why the American Red Cross has launched an initiative to grow the number of blood donors who are black to help patients with sickle cell disease, an enduring and often invisible health disparity in the U.S.

Over 100,000 people in the U.S. have sickle cell disease, the most common inherited blood disorder, and the majority of patients are of African descent. Despite the discovery of the disease more than a century ago, there have been fewer health resources available to help those currently suffering from sickle cell crisis in comparison to similar diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with sickle cell disease experience worse health outcomes than comparable diseases.

Plover

10/11/2021: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Plover Municipal Building, 2400 Post Rd

Stevens Point

9/23/2021: 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

9/24/2021: 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

9/27/2021: 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

9/28/2021: 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

9/30/2021: 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

10/1/2021: 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

10/4/2021: 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

10/5/2021: 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

10/7/2021: 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

10/8/2021: 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

10/11/2021: 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

10/12/2021: 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

10/14/2021: 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.

10/14/2021: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., St Paul’s United Methodist Church, 600 Wilshire.

10/15/2021: 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m., Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main St.