The American Red Cross of Allegheny Highlands is helping to bridge access to health care for blood donors by providing free A1C testing, commonly used to screen for diabetes and prediabetes, on all successful blood, platelet and plasma donations in March.
One-third of people lack access to regular primary care in the U.S., where diabetes affects 1 in 10 people and nearly a quarter of those living with it have been undiagnosed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The free A1C screening aims to help address this gap by empowering blood donors with valuable information to maintain their health and well-being. This new offering is among the longtime work of the Red Cross to support the health of communities, which also includes disaster relief efforts such as basic disaster health and mental health services among other assistance.
Visit RedCrossBlood.org, use the Red Cross Blood Donor App or call 1-800-RED CROSS to book a time to give in March and learn more about your health. Additionally, all who come to give blood, platelets or plasma March 1-31 will receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card by email. See RedCrossBlood.org/March for details on both offers.
Upcoming blood drives in the Lewisburg area include one on Monday, Mar. 10 at Lewisburg United Methodist Church from 12 noon to 6 p.m., one on Thursday, Mar. 13 at the Clingman Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and one on Tuesday, Mar. 18 at Robert C. Byrd Clinic from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
You can also make a financial donation at redcross.org/GivingDay on Mar. 26 to support people with disaster services such as emergency shelter, food, relief supplies, basic health care, emotional support and financial assistance. Both efforts are part of its Red Cross Month activities in March.
Supporting the health of communities has long been part of the American Red Cross and traces its roots to its founder, Clara Barton. A lifelong humanitarian and pioneer in the nursing field, Barton first led the organization to deliver relief and care after disasters more than 140 years ago.
As part of disaster relief efforts, disaster health and mental health services are as important as ever in the face of intensifying extreme weather across the country. The Red Cross is responding to nearly twice as many major disasters than it did a decade ago across the country – on top of everyday crises like home fires and flooding in our area. After disasters of all sizes, the Red Cross also provides emergency lodging, food and financial assistance.
Red Cross health and mental health support may include replacing lost prescription medications and medical equipment, helping people in its shelters cope with chronic illnesses aggravated by the disaster, and providing emotional support and referrals to community health and mental health professionals for additional care.
So far this year, the Red Cross has helped people affected by large disasters such as the record-breaking wildfires in California. This came on the heels of 2024 having the second-highest number of billion-dollar disasters in a single year, due to major events like hurricanes, floods and tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The American Red Cross of the Central Appalachia Region is responding to the devastating flooding that impacted parts of our area with over 50 Red Cross disaster responders assisting in relief efforts. Teams have been delivering emergency supplies including over 850 clean-up kits and more than 2,000 other items such as bleach, shovels, trash bags, gloves, etc. to the impacted area. Red Cross damage assessment teams have been out in communities assessing the impacts and conducting door-to-door external residential damage assessments to help determine how many homes have been affected and the extent of damage. Caseworkers are conducting direct outreach and meeting with families whose homes were determined to be destroyed or with major damage to help support their recovery.
