Versiti Partners with Milwaukee Artists to Host Music for Life Blood Drive

MILWAUKEE – Nov. 10, 2021 – Versiti, a national leader in blood health innovation, has teamed up with three Milwaukee-based artists, B~Free, Webster X and DJ Bizzon, to host the Music for Life Blood Drive on Saturday, November 20. Open to the public, the drive will be held at Nō Studios and aims to raise awareness about the need for a diversified blood supply in communities that Versiti serves.

“Music is a vehicle for social change, and we are using it to spread information on how important it is for people of color to donate blood,” said Webster X. “Understandably, there is a lot of resistance with blood donation, but when you learn about the lives, especially black ones, that rely on your donation to live a normal life, it makes you reconsider your role a bit more.”

Every day, more than 10,000 patients—from those undergoing long-term transfusion treatments to accident victims—rely on the generosity of blood donors to survive.

The percentage of ethnically diverse patients who require rare blood continues to increase. Yet, ethnically diverse blood donors are a small part of the overall blood supplied. Of the entire U.S. population, only five percent donate blood. An even smaller fraction has a blood type called Ro, which is particularly beneficial for patients with sickle cell disease.

Most commonly found in African American and Hispanic communities, the Ro blood type is extremely rare and shows in only four percent of all Versiti donors.

Patients with conditions like sickle cell disease are more likely to find a match and less likely to have physical reactions to blood donated by donors of the same ethnic background. Reaching more donors helps Versiti provide a better quality of life for patients of all races and ethnicities and may be the difference between life and death for a patient in need.

To make an appointment for the Music for Life blood drive, call 1-877-BE-A-HERO (1-877-232-4376) or visit versiti.org. Details below:

Music for Life Blood Drive
Saturday, November 20, 2021
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Nō Studios (Skyline Lounge)
1037 West McKinley Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53205

Anyone 17 or older, in good health, and meets eligibility requirements is encouraged to donate blood. Parental consent is required for 16-year-olds to donate. Appointments are preferred to ensure a quick and convenient donation, but walk-in donors are also welcome. The entire process takes about an hour. Donors should bring a photo ID that includes their birth date.