BUCKHANNON, W.Va. —  St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Rotary Club of Buckhannon-Upshur held a very successful blood drive on June 16 and June 25 at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Buckhannon.  

The two-day total for blood donation reached 123 donors. Social distancing and the cancellation of many blood drives has created an urgent need for healthy, eligible people to donate blood. Blood donations assist patients diagnosed with cancer, accident and burn victims, and heart surgery and organ transplant patients.

The blood was drawn by Vitalant, the blood supplier for St. Joseph’s Hospital and United Hospital Center. As an additional benefit to donors, testing was also done for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.   

For more information about blood donation, go to vitalant.org/antibodytest.