Red Cross to permanently close Sonora blood bank next month

The Sonora Red Cross Blood and Platelet Donation Center at Greenley and Sanguinetti roads will close effective Sept. 23 because it’s “among the top high-cost Red Cross Donation Centers in the country,” the nonprofit American Red Cross recently told donors in Tuolumne County.

In an email sent to donors earlier this month, the national organization said the Sonora blood bank “has struggled to collect blood products despite the best efforts of staff and dedicated donors.”