Members of The Villages Parrot Head Club are seeking donors to participate in the upcoming “Parrotise” blood drive.
OneBlood’s Big Red Bus will be at The Villages Polo Fields on Monday, March 29 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the event. All donors will receive a free tie-dye T-shirt, a $10 eGift card and a wellness checkup, which includes a COVID-19 antibody test and blood pressure, pulse, temperature and iron count, along with a cholesterol screening.
Generally healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. A photo ID is required.
For details or appointments, visit www.oneblood.org/villages or call 1-888-936-6283. Appointments will be honored and walk-ins are welcome.
For those concerned about donating blood, the Parrotheads want potential donors to know that the U.S. Surgeon General and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have said it remains safe to attend blood drives and donate blood. OneBlood meets all FDA guidelines and all team members follow strict safety protocols including:
- All OneBlood staff are required to wear masks.
- All blood donors are asked to wear a mask. If a donor doesn’t have a mask, one will be supplied.
- All OneBlood phlebotomists wear medical gloves that are changed for each donation.
- Blood donors should follow the guidelines for wearing masks in the county where the blood drive is taking place.
- All donor-touched areas and equipment are disinfected after every donation. This includes donor beds, registration tablets, blood-pressure cuff and hemoglobin sensors.
- A sterile collection set is used for every donation.
- Every donor receives a mini-physical that includes a temperature check to ensure donors are healthy and well on the day of donation.
- Only people who are healthy are eligible to donate blood.
- Only a certain number of people will be permitted on the Big Red Bus at any one time. Donors will be asked to provide their cell phone number so they can wait in their car or outside the bloodmobile. They will be called when it is their turn to come aboard the bus to donate blood.
