A blood drive is Wednesday, April 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Talladega Superspeedway.
The blood drive will be inside the track’s International Motorsports Hall of Fame FOX Sports 1 dome located at the main entrance. Track officials said the goal is to help increase a healthy and reliable blood supply for the American Red Cross to provide area hospitals.
“We are honored to assist our community during this unprecedented time, working with public health care officials and the American Red Cross for this very important blood drive,” said Talladega Superspeedway President Brian Crichton. “The FOX Sports 1 Dome is a 30,000-square-foot facility and offers plenty of space to practice social distancing so donors will feel safe while donating blood.”
Measures the Red Cross will take to make donors more comfortable upon their visit include:
- Everyone will have their temperature taken before entering the blood drive, including staff and volunteers.
- Additional spacing will be provided between beds and stations to go above social distancing guidelines.
- No more than 15 people will be allowed in the venue at a time (including donors, staff and volunteers).
- All recommended safety protocols will be used, including wearing gloves, routinely wiping down donor-touched areas, using sterile collection sets for every donation and preparing each arm for donation with an aseptic scrub.
- Having hand sanitizer available.
The Red Cross is asking only for those that are healthy to donate. If you suspect you may be sick to any extent, the organization pleads to postpone your donation to a later time.
Appointments are required, as there will be no walkups. A blood donor card, a driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Donors 18 years of age and younger have to meet certain height and weight requirements, including weighing at least 110 pounds and being in generally good health.
For more information or to make an appointment to donate, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) sponsor code: TALLADEGA.
