Amazon is donating $1 million in Amazon.com gift cards to the American Red Cross to help entice more people to donate blood and reduce shortages.
The U.S. currently faces a shortage of type O blood. Typically, the country needs at least 14 units of type O blood for every 100,000 people per day; however, just six per day are currently available, according to the Red Cross. Type O-negative blood can be universally donated, making it the most-needed blood type for hospitals.
Through Amazon's donation, 200,000 people can receive a $5 Amazon.com gift card for donating blood or platelets of any type before June 10. Amazon is also hosting 17 blood drives for employees at its offices, and it added functionality to Alexa that allows users to schedule blood donations, find blood drives and be reminded of appointments through Alexa-enabled devices.
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