Appointments are also available throughout the year at multiple locations around the Bay Area for your convenience. Check the schedule here to find a date and time that works better for you. Streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions on the day of your appointment. ABC7 and the American Red Cross are partnering to urge Bay Area residents about the critical need for blood donations in January for National Blood Donor Month. Blood donors can help those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 including sickle cell patients. Amid this coronavirus pandemic, the Red Cross has seen a significant decrease in African American and Latinx blood donors. Blood transfused to patients with rare blood types, like those with sickle cell disease, must be matched very closely to reduce the risk of complications, and these patients are more likely to find a compatible blood match from a blood donor of the same race or similar ethnicity.