Mobile blood drive announced for Friday in Cathedral City

With blood donations down due to the coronavirus pandemic, a mobile blood drive is scheduled for Friday in Cathedral City, it was announced today.

The collection effort will be held at Palm Springs Motors, 69-200 Highway 111, from 6:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., according to LifeStream Blood Bank, which is organizing the drive.

On Tuesday, dates were announced for six other blood drives throughout the Coachella Valley next week.

Two collection locations are slated for May 19 at Our Savior's Palm Springs, 1020 E. Ramon Road, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and St. Francis Assisi Church in La Quinta, 47225 Washington St., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. On May 21, a drive is scheduled for Palm Springs Airport, 250 N. E Cielo Road, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and another one at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Indio, 45-299 Deglet Noor St., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Two more dates are planned for May 22. The first one will be at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, 34600 Mission Hills Drive, from 7 a.m. to noon, and another at Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church, 47321 State Hwy. 74, from noon to 5 p.m.

The health crisis has forced the cancellation of more than 80 mobile blood drives throughout Southern California, LifeStream spokesman Don Escalante has said.

The canceled drives scheduled for mid-March through the end of May equate to about 5,000 pints of lost blood, he said.

Potential donors must be at least 15 years old, weigh at least 115 pounds and be free from infections or illnesses. Donors must also not be at risk of having AIDS or hepatitis.

Donors under 17 years old must bring written consent from a parent. Blood collected through donations to LifeStream flows to more than 80 hospitals in Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura and San
Diego counties.

For appointments, call 800-879-4484, or visit www.LStream.org.