American Red Cross

Blood Services

When you give blood, you give another birthday, another anniversary and another holiday with loved ones. You give someone another laugh, another hug, another chance.

Much of modern medicine is made possible by this selfless act: average people - people like you - take time out of their busy schedules to give a piece of themselves so that someone they may never know has a chance to live.

• Each unit of blood has the potential to save three lives. A unit of blood can be split into three components: red blood cells, platelets and plasma. The entire donation process only takes about an hour.

• Trauma victims need your red cells. Cancer patients need your platelets. And burn victims need your plasma. Since red cells must be used within 42 days and platelets are only good for five days, the need for blood is continuous.

• In addition to traditional whole blood collection, the Red Cross is able to offer a variety of automated collections options, including plateletpheresis, double red cell donation and red cell plasma donation. By offering several automated collections options, we are better able to collect the right component at the right time for patients in need.

• The Indiana-Ohio Region of American Red Cross Blood Services collects and distributes blood in 43 counties in northern Indiana and northwest Ohio. • If you are at least 17 years of age, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and are in good general health, you may be eligible to donate blood. To schedule your appointment visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-GIVE LIFE.

Disaster Services

Each year, the American Red Cross responds immediately to more than 67,000 disasters, including house or apartment fires,

floods, tornadoes, winter storms, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents, explosions, and other natural and man-made disasters. In North Central Indiana, the need for Disaster Services continues to grow. The core of Red Cross disaster relief is the assistance given to individuals and families affected by disaster to enable them to resume their normal daily activities independently.

The Good News Is That We Can Help

Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency disaster-caused needs. When a man-made or natural disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides food, clothing, shelter, emergency medical supplies and mental health counseling to address basic human needs. The Red Cross also feeds emergency workers, handles inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood products to disaster victims, and helps those affected by disaster access other available community resources.

Health and Safety Services

The American Red Cross is the recognized premier provider of First Aid, CPR, AED, Babysitter Training, Aquatics and water safety, Family Caregiving, Pet First Aid, HIV/AIDS prevention education, and other health and safety education programs.

Each year, over 26,000 people in our community enroll in health and safety courses, learning how to keep themselves and their families safe. All Red Cross Health and Safety programs are developed in collaboration with experts from the fields of medicine and aquatics and reflect the latest information and techniques. All courses are designed to teach the exact skills people need to respond to an emergency. The American Red Cross has provided health and safety services to people for more than 90 years as part of the organization's mission of emergency prevention and preparedness.

To find out when classes are being offered in your area visit our Calendars page.

International Services

American Red Cross International Services helps vulnerable people and communities around the world prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and health emergencies by mobilizing the power of the world's largest humanitarian network, made up of 186 Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies and more than 97 million volunteers. In all our work, we abide by the seven fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.

Service to the Armed Forces

The American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces delivers around-the-clock emergency communication between military personnel and their families. These services are available to both active duty and community-based military members and their families. The American Red Cross provides emergency communications, emergency financial assistance, counseling, veterans' assistance and aid in the field where Red Cross workers are deployed to serve with America's military.To request Service to the Armed Forces assistance visit the Contact Us page.

When calling the Red Cross to send an emergency message to a family member in the military, it is helpful to have as much of the following information as possible:

• Service member's full name
• Rank/Rating
• Branch of Service
• Social Security Number
• Date of birth
• Military address where deployed
• Home base unit address
• Unit phone number
• Hospital name and phone number (if applicable)
• Attending doctor name and phone number (if applicable)
• Funeral home name and phone number (if applicable)
• Local point of contact phone number (if possible)