Blood Drive Scheduled To Help With Shortages

In an effort to address the decline in donations during the coronavirus pandemic, Gila River Arena announced it will host a blood and plasma drive.

The drive will be held Monday, August 3rd and Tuesday, August 4th from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. in partnership with Vitalant, Dignity Health, the Arizona Coyotes, and Streets of New York.

“Due to safety measures implemented because of the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of blood drives and more than 17,000 blood donations had to be cancelled across Arizona over the over the past five months,” Sid Lewis, Sr, Director of Donor Recruitment for Vitalant’s Southwest Division, said in the release.


“Donors of all blood types are needed to fill the gap, especially O-negative, the universal donor.”

Those interested in donating will be required to wear a face covering and social distance. Donors are encouraged to pre-schedule an appointment online.

All donated blood will be tested for COVID-19 antibodies. A positive antibody test does not reveal if a donor had COVID-19, but does mean a patient may be eligible to donate their convalescent plasma to help others recover from the coronavirus.

All Blood donors will be able to access their antibody test results via an online portal two weeks after donating.

All donors will receive one complimentary ticket to an upcoming Coyotes home game, a voucher for a slice of cheese pizza and a Pepsi,. They will also be automatically entered into a raffle for a hockey stick signed by the 2019-20 Coyotes team.