Roadrunners Partner With Vitalant To Host July 1 Blood Drive

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Tucson, Arizona — The Tucson Roadrunners, proud American Hockey League affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes, announced today that the team has partnered with Vitalant to host a community blood drive on Wednesday, July 1, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m at the La Quinta Inn on 102 North Alvernon Way in Tucson.  

To ensure that social distancing is in place, donors are recommended to make an appointment at vitalant.org/Roadrunners prior to the event date and will be required to bring and wear a mask. The blood drive will take place in the Montezuma room at the La Quinta.  

In addition, all donations will be tested for COVID-19 antibodies. An authorized Food and Drug Administration test, it indicates if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to the virus, regardless of whether they ever showed symptoms.  The antibody test is NOT a way to find out if you are currently infected with this virus.  While a positive antibody test does not mean that someone is immune to COVID-19, it does mean that they may be eligible to donate convalescent plasma and help people who are still recovering from coronavirus infection.  Blood donors can log onto their Vitalant confidential donor portal to access test results within three weeks after their donation.  For more information, visit vitalant.org/antibodytest.   

Roadrunners Team President Bob Hoffman, “Voice of the Roadrunners” Adrian Denny and Mascot Dusty will leadoff the blood drive with other special guest appearances as well taking place throughout the day.

“Patient blood needs have substantially increased now that elective surgeries are resuming across our state, said Sid Lewis, Sr. Director of Donor Recruitment for Vitalant’s Southwest Division.  “Every day, patients continue to depend on blood transfusions for surgery, transplants, cancer treatment and ongoing medical needs.” Vitalant is Arizona’s largest non-profit community provider.

While donors of all blood types are needed, O-negative is always in greatest demand. 

 In appreciation for helping during this crucial time for patients, the blood drive sponsors are expressing their gratitude with the following thank you gifts for donors:

  • One (1) complimentary ticket for a 2020-21 Roadrunners home game
  • Voucher for a free burger from Whataburger
  • Entered into a drawing for Roadrunners Prizes 

About Vitalant

Vitalant (“Vye-TAL-ent”) is a national community blood service provider, supplying comprehensive transfusion medicine services for nearly 1,000 hospitals and health care partners for patients in need across 40 states. Vitalant inspires local communities to serve the needs of others and transform lives through the selfless act of donating blood. Every day, almost 5,000 blood donations are needed to meet the needs of people throughout the country, and Vitalant’s 800,000 donors supply 1.8 million donations a year. In addition to blood products, Vitalant offers customers transfusion services, medical consulting, quality guidance, ongoing education, research and more. For more information and to schedule a donation, visit vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825). Join the conversation about impacting the lives of others on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To learn more about Vitalant’s COVID-19 efforts, visit vitalant.org/COVIDfree.