Rock Spring, GA – Walker County residents are being asked to roll up their sleeves and give blood next week.

On Monday, April 13th, Walker County Government will host a community blood drive to help answer to call for blood donations. The drive will run from Noon until 6:00 p.m. at the Walker County Civic Center, located at 10052 Highway 27 in Rock Spring.

Blood donations are essential in maintaining the infrastructure of our healthcare system. Due to COVID-19, a number of blood drive donations across the region have been cancelled, resulting in a shortage of blood units locally.

Blood drives are part of our nation’s critical infrastructure and residents under a “shelter in place” order are allowed to leave their homes to donate blood products.

Those planning to participate are strongly urged to make an appointment in advance to reduce their potential wait time. To comply with new CDC regulations, only one donor is allowed on the bloodmobile every 15 minutes. This allows staff time to clean and sanitize between donors.

Also, donors will now be pre-screened before they enter the bloodmobile. In order to prevent a line from forming, donors will be asked to return to their vehicles and answer the screening questions on their phones. Blood Assurance will then text the donor when it’s time to enter the bloodmobile.

Donors can schedule an appointment by following this link or by calling 1-800-962-0628. All donors will also receive a “Happy Camper Southern Blood Donor” T-shirt.