The Red Cross is offering Amazon gift cards and A1C screens for blood donors

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The American Red Cross is offering a way to track important health data while making a blood donation.

The Red Cross has recently recovered from a national blood shortage and wants to maintain donations to avoid another shortage. Those who donate between now and the end of the month will receive a $15 Amazon gift card and will have their A1C tested.

“…everyone who donates blood in the month of March gets an A1C test with their blood donation. It’s free of charge. This is, you know, a test that scans your blood sugar levels and is a good indicator for diabetes, prediabetes, these other things and let you kind of take more control over your health and where things are,” said Don Hawkins, regional communications manager for the Red Cross.

Blood pressure and hemoglobin checks are routine parts of the blood donation process and that medical data can be tracked through the Red Cross Blood Donor app.

March is Red Cross Month and Hawkins wants to highlight the ways you can support their efforts beyond donating blood.

“…you can visit RedCross.Org/Volunteer to get more information about that. You can join the disaster reaction team responders that go out when someone’s house is on fire in the middle of the night. You can sign up to be blood drive ambassador and you can be the person who welcomes folks at the blood drives whenever they come to give their blood. You can sign up to volunteer with all the different lines of service we have,” Hawkins said. “You can even be one of the people who drives the blood from blood drives to the storage areas where the blood is going to be tested and make sure it’s safe.”

You can find a blood drive near you and schedule an appointment through the Red Cross Blood Donor app or on their website.