The Inland Empire has a new blood donation center.
The American Red Cross’ first such facility in the Inland region is now open.
A Tuesday, Dec. 17, ribbon-cutting event heralded the arrival of the Riverside Blood Donation Center at the agency’s renovated Humanitarian Services chapter office in the city.
Aside from the donation area, the office coordinates emergency preparedness and disaster relief, services for the military and other services, a news release states.
Blood products to be collected at the center help hospital patients such as accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia or sickle cell disease. The Red Cross supplied more than 115 hospitals in Southern California, the release states.
The center honors past and future Gift of Life Heroes across Riverside and San Bernardino counties who have donated blood or platelets or will do so. Some of their photos and stories are featured on the front lobby wall in the center and more will be added each year.
These honorees include:
- Thomas Van Dorn — The Moreno Valley resident drove to Fullerton every other Saturday since 1997 to donate platelets because the new Riverside donation center didn’t yet exist. The commitment memorializes his 5-year-old son Mitchell, who died of cancer in 1995. Van Dorn has given more than 1,000 units of platelets in 21 years.
- Don and Donna Luginbill — She has donated since the early 1980s, when a friend’s mother was fighting cancer. Her husband began donating as well. The Riverside couple usually gives blood every two months.
- William “Bill” Reines — The Corona resident started donating platelets in 1987 and has been driving to the Red Cross in Santa Ana — a two-to-three-hour task, including driving and the donation. Reines has donated more than 417 units of platelets
- Mark Shinoda — The Riverside County resident commuted to Orange County to donate platelets. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, he gave 22 times in one year.
Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are recommended by using the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Inland Empire donors can use the sponsor code RiversideCA to schedule at the Riverside center or their zip code to find the closest mobile blood drive.
The center is at 6235 River Crest Drive, Suite A, Riverside. Its hours are Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center plans to add days of operation in 2025.
