Blood Donors And Drives Needed In December

November 29, 2006 – 10:48 pm | posted in Blood / Hematology

New York Blood Center is predicting a severe blood shortage in December that will require blood rationing to area hospitals and patients if blood supply levels do not improve, blood center management reported today. Past and potential donors, and those who want to host a blood drive at their job or in their community, are therefore being urged to call New York Blood Center at 1-800-933-BLOOD or go to http://www.nybloodcenter.org to find a convenient blood drive or donation location in New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley and New Jersey.

“Despite the fast approaching holiday season, the need for blood never takes a holiday. And we will definitely have to ration distribution of some blood types in December, and very possibly into 2007 as well, if we don’t see donation rates increase and additional blood drives scheduled in December,” pointed out Dr. Robert Jones, New York Blood Center President & CEO.

New York Blood Center needs close to 2,000 donors a day in order to adequately serve the patient transfusion needs of nearly 200 New York and New Jersey community hospitals, “so we are asking everyone eligible to consider giving the best gift of all — the gift of life — this holiday season,” said Dr. Jones.

Who Can & Should Donate?

Eligible donors include those people at least age 16 (in NY) or 17 (in NJ), who weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, are in good health and meet all Food & Drug Administration and NY or NJ State Department of Health donor criteria. “The reality is less than 2% of people in our local community currently donates, which is far behind the nationwide blood donor participation rate of 5%,” explained Dr. Jones. “We simply need more donors, and ideally more diverse donors, to address the predicted blood supply/demand gap.”

New York Blood Center, including its five regional operations, is one of the nation’s largest non-profit, community-based blood centers and has been providing life-saving transfusion products and services to the greater NY/NJ community since 1964. NYBC is also home to the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute and the National Cord Blood Program at the Milstein National Cord Blood Center.

Brooklyn/Staten Island Blood Services distributes blood products to hospitals in Brooklyn & Staten Island;

Hudson Valley Blood Services distributes blood products to hospitals in the Bronx and the lower Hudson Valley;

Long Island Blood Services distributes blood products to hospitals in Queens, Nassau & Suffolk;

New Jersey Blood Services distributes blood products to hospitals in northern and central New Jersey;

New York Blood Services distributes blood products to hospitals in Manhattan.

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