The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers, guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement, to provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.
Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting the emergency disaster-caused needs of individuals and families. When a disaster threatens or strikes, we provide shelter, food, and health and mental health services, which address basic human needs. In addition, we help individuals and families to resume their normal daily activities independently.
In addition to responding to more than 70,000 man-made or natural disasters each year, the American Red Cross provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply and has strong programs in the basic sciences related to biomedical science and transfusion medicine, including testing, blood safety and efficacy, molecular biology of blood, and the immune response
system.
The organization works to develop new biomedical products and technologies that will address the health needs of patients worldwide. The Red Cross undertakes collaborative efforts with biotechnology companies, research and teaching hospitals, and universities around the country to further this lifesaving research.
Our Mission
The American Red Cross Biomedical Services will fulfill the needs of the American people for the safest, most reliable and most cost-effective blood services through voluntary donations.
The commitment of the American Red Cross Blood Services is that no patient need will go unmet. The Lewis and Clark Region is one of 36 geographic regions in the American Red Cross Blood Services national organization. We serve blood donors and hospitals in Idaho, Montana, and Utah and limited areas in Nevada, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington. Ours is the largest geographic area of any Red Cross blood services region, covering more than 315,500 square miles. The Lewis and Clark region is responsible for collecting approximately 213,000 units of blood each year. Blood is supplied to local hospitals first, and any extra blood not used locally is available to ship to other parts of the country through the American Red Cross national inventory system.
Blood Donors
Blood donors are everyday people with a desire to give back to their communities. They are high school students, business executives and everyone in between—people with a generous spirit, whose gift means life to patients in need.
Whether at a blood drive in a community or at a donation center in the city, every one of our donors plays an integral role in the delivery of modern healthcare. Many diseases, surgeries and conditions require blood transfusions in order for treatments to be successful and recovery to be possible.
American Red Cross Chapter Services
The American Red Cross consists of two divisions—blood services and chapter services. The chapter services division of the Red Cross provides the following services:*
- Disaster Services
- Emergency social services
- Emergency food pantry
- Armed Forces Emergency Services
- International Tracing Services
- Health and Safety classes
- First aid, CPR and AED training
- HIV/AIDS Education
- Youth Safety Training
- Office of Volunteers
- And many more...
* All services are not available at all locations.
Red Cross Chapters are located in local communities, big and small, across America.
 Find an American Red Cross chapter near you
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