New York Blood Center Urges Public to Donate Blood During the Holidays

NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New York Blood Center (NYBC) is asking the public to donate blood at a nearby drive, NYBC center, or mobile unit to help replenish the community's blood supply. Cold and flu season, the holidays, school breaks, and inclement weather impact donations at this time of year.  It is imperative for NYBC to always have an adequately stocked blood supply to respond when communities are faced with patient traumas or other events that require lifesaving blood products.

TO DONATE BLOOD OR FOR INFORMATION 
ON HOW TO ORGANIZE A BLOOD DRIVE:
Call Toll Free: 1-800-933-BLOOD (2566)
Visit: www.nybc.org/blood

In order to maintain a safe blood supply, a seven-day inventory of all types must be continually replenished. Companies, organizations, and community groups are encouraged to donate or host their own blood drives to help rebuild the blood supply – NYBC's staff can help each step of the way.

"By spreading the word or even hosting your own blood drive, inviting friends, family, and community organizations, you may save lives in your community," said Andrea Cefarelli, Executive Director Donor Recruitment for NYBC. "We are in dire need of O negative blood with a reserve that is currently below ideal levels."  O negative blood donors are considered "universal," and their blood type is needed most readily in trauma situations and emergency rooms across the country. Due to its high demand, O negative blood is in short supply, and NYBC encourages individuals with this blood type to consider stepping forward and donating today.

Blood donors must be between the ages of 16 (with signed parental consent) and 75 (or older with a doctor's written permission), weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, and be in generally good health. All donors will benefit from a free mini exam including a review of their pulse rate, blood pressure, and temperature. Donors will need a photo or signature ID. Donors who are not sure if they are eligible to donate can call 1-800-688-0900.

About New York Blood Center
Founded in 1964, the New York Blood Center Network (NYBC) is a nonprofit organization that is one of the largest independent, community-based blood centers in the world. NYBC, along with its partner organizations Community Blood Center of Kansas City, Missouri (CBC), Innovative Blood Resources (IBR), Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD), and Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC), collect approximately 4,000 units of blood products each day and serve local communities of more than 45 million people in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT), Mid Atlantic area (PA, DE, MD), the Kansas City metropolitan area, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Southern New England. NYBC and its partners also provide a wide array of transfusion-related medical services, including Comprehensive Cell Solutions, the National Center for Blood Group Genomics, the National Cord Blood Program, and the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, which—among other milestones—developed the Hepatitis B vaccine and a patented solvent detergent plasma process innovating blood-purification technology worldwide.

Website:  www.nybc.org

Contact: Andrea Cefarelli
Phone: 914-760-3173

SOURCE New York Blood Center

Related Links

http://www.nybc.org