For the City Times

CENTRAL WISCONSIN – The American Red Cross will host blood drives throughout central Wisconsin this fall, in an effort to collect a diverse blood supply for patient needs.

“The American Red Cross needs people of all races and ethnicities to give blood to help ensure a blood supply as diverse as the patients who depend on it,” a Red Cross release said. “For a small percentage of the population, finding someone else with the same blood type can be difficult. While the vast majority of people have types A, B, O, or AB blood, some blood types are unique to certain racial and ethnic groups, so a diverse blood supply is important to meeting the medical needs of adiverse patient population. Patients who require frequent blood transfusions as part of their treatment, like those with sickle cell disease or other lifelong blood disorders, often need close blood type matches to prevent complications from their transfusion therapy.”

Upcoming blood donation opportunities are available in the following counties:

Clark

Abbotsford

Sept. 22, noon – 6 p.m., Abbotsford City Hall, 203 N First Street

Marathon

Wausau: Sept. 18, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Woodson YMCA, 707 Third Street

Portage

Plover: Sept 17, 1-6 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 2000 Roosevelt Drive; Oct. 5, noon – 6 p.m., Plover Municipal Building, 2400 Post Road

Stevens Point: Sept. 17, 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sept. 18, 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sept. 21, 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Sept. 22, 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Sept. 24, 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sept. 25, 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Sept. 28,11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Sept. 29, 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Oct. 1, 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Oct. 2, 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Oct. 5, 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Oct. 6, 11:45 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.; Oct. 8, 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Oct. 9, 8:15 a.m. – 3 p.m., all at Stevens Point Blood Donation Center, 3201C Main Street

Wood

Marshfield: Sept. 21, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Eagles Club, 1104 S Oak Avenue

Wisconsin Rapids: Sept. 25, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., McMillan Library, 490 E. Grand Avenue

To donate or for more information, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.