Give Life for the Fourth of July

July 4th is among nation's deadliest holidays - Donating blood today will help save lives

NEW YORK, June 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New York Blood Center (NYBC) and its divisions in Manhattan, Long Island, Hudson Valley, Brooklyn / Staten Island, and New Jersey call upon the community to please donate blood in advance of the July 4th holiday weekend. Every two seconds, someone needs blood.

Summer is "trauma season" for most emergency rooms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately two thirds of injuries requiring emergency room admission occur during the month surrounding the Fourth of July. Independence Day is also traditionally the busiest day of the year for trauma centers nationwide. About one in seven people entering a hospital needs blood.

July 4 is also when the most severe motor vehicle accidents occur, with July 3 as the second worst day for crashes and July 2 also among the worst, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This year, the Fourth of July falls on a Saturday, the day of the week when most accidents tend to occur. Car accident and trauma victims may need as many as 50 or more red cell transfusions. One out of three people will need a life-saving blood transfusion in his or her lifetime.

The United States relies upon the general public for its national blood supply. Individuals may donate blood in advance of Independence Day, in recognition of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country and freedom, or in honor of thousands of U.S. servicemen and women. A single blood donation can help save the lives of three people.

People can give blood every 56 days. You can also help by organizing a blood drive within your community, house of worship, or place of work. To meet regional needs, New York Blood Center requires 2,000 blood donations each day.

New York Blood Center (NYBC) and its regions thank every individual blood donor and the wide variety of organizations that sponsor blood drives throughout the summer months.

To schedule your very own blood drive please contact:

Queens/Long Island Karen Muscolino 516-478-5038 Kmuscolino@nybloodcenter.org

Manhattan Patty Killeen 718-752-4690 Pkilleen@nybloodcenter.org

Brooklyn/Staten Island Wally Farraj 718-797-7825 Wfarraj@nybloodcenter.org

Bronx/Hudson Valley Andrea Cefarelli 914-784-4639 Acefarelli@nybloodcenter.org

New Jersey Marie Forrestal 732-220-7184 Mforrestal@nybloodcenter.org

If you cannot donate but still wish to participate in bringing lifesaving products to those in need, please consider volunteering at a local blood drive.

To donate blood, please call: Toll Free: 1-800-933-2566

Visit: www.nybloodcenter.org

Any company, community organization, place of worship, or individual may host a blood drive. NYBC also offers special community service scholarships for students who organize community blood drives during the summer. Blood donors receive free mini-medical exams on site including information about their temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and hemoglobin level. Eligible donors include those people at least age 16 (with parental permission or consent), 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. People over 75 may donate with a doctor's note.

About New York Blood Center:

New York Blood Center (NYBC) is one of the nation's largest non-profit, community-based blood centers. NYBC has been providing blood, transfusion products and services to patients in greater New York since 1964. NYBC is also home to the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute and the National Cord Blood Program at the Howard P. Milstein National Cord Blood Center, the world's largest public cord blood bank. NYBC provides medical services and programs (Clinical, Transfusion, and Hemophilia Services) through our medical professionals and transfusion medicine physicians.

    Contact:  Leslie Gonzalez
    lgonzalez2@nybloodcenter.org
    (212) 570-3304  Office
    (646) 342-3038  Mobile

SOURCE New York Blood Center