NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER ANNOUNCES BLOOD EMERGENCY APPEAL FOR DONORS
Winter storms, frigid temperatures and wide spread flu are making it harder for local communities to maintain their critical blood supply.
Cancelled blood drives and reduced donor turnout throughout January have resulted in substantially fewer blood donations than what is needed to meet the needs of patients in the hospitals served by New York Blood Center.
"Each winter storm further reduces our region’s blood supply,” said Andrea H. Cerafelli, Senior Executive Director Donor Recruitment and Marketing at New York Blood Center. “With blood levels at critical lows, we are urging everyone who can to take one hour to donate one unit to save one life this weekend."
The blood supply typically drops during the colder months, but this year’s drop-off is worse than expected. Donations are thousands below what is needed to maintain an ideal 6-7 day supply of blood. Currently, New York Blood Center has just a 3-4 day supply with types O- and B- at critically low levels.
Donated blood is perishable and hospitals must have access to a continuous supply to ensure that all patients can receive the life-saving blood they need when it counts. Platelets— a component of blood that’s especially important for cancer patients—are in particularly high demand because they have a five-day shelf life.
Those who would like to donate can visit www.nybloodcenter.org to find a nearby donation center or mobile unit. It only takes one hour to donate, and a single donation can save multiple lives. Those in need include: cancer patients, accident, burn, or trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia, and many more.
For more information about blood donations, visit the New York Blood Center online:
Website: www.nybloodcenter.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/newyorkbloodcenter
