The LGBTQ+ Center is excited to collaborate with the WVU Red Cross Club to host a blood drive on Tuesday March 3^rd to celebrate both LGBTQ+ Health and Red Cross Month. The Red Cross promotes blood drives as part of overall wellness by offering free health checks (blood pressure, pulse, temp, hemoglobin) and fostering community health through regular donations, making it a simple way to monitor health and help others. 

The Red Cross was proud to be the first major blood bank to implement the FDA’s updated guidelines that eliminate blood donation eligibility criteria based on sexual orientation and make blood donation more inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community. The Red Cross is committed to achieving an inclusive blood donation process that treats all potential donors with equality and respect, and ensures a safe, sufficient blood supply is readily available for patients in need. For years, the Red Cross has worked toward this change, including decades of data collection and assessment to improve transfusion safety, ongoing advocacy to eliminate donor questions based on sexual orientation, and our role as a leading contributor in the FDA-funded ADVANCE Study.

The blood drive will be Tuesday, March 3 on the second floor of the Mountainlair in the Rhododendron room. We encourage everyone to make an appointment to ensure you will have the least amount of time waiting. The appointment times are from 10am-4pm. Please join us in supporting our community and hospital patients by donating life saving blood. For the month of March, the Red Cross will be offering complimentary A1C testing for all donors. All donors will receive a $15 dollar Amazon gift card sent to their email associated with their Red Cross account. There will be Pride swag at the drive offered for all donors and volunteers so please invite all friends and family to come join us in celebrating this wonderful collaboration!