Donate blood at St. John’s

At a time when the New York Blood Center (NYBC) is making an urgent appeal for donors, St. John’s University - the most successful blood donation outlet among colleges and universities in New York City - will host its Annual Athletics Blood Drive.
The event will take place on Thursday, February 5 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the Red Storm’s basketball court in Carnesecca Arena.
High school and college students account for 30 percent of donations, according to the NYBC. At this year’s Athletics Drive they are hoping for a turnout of 150 to 200 donors.
Individuals must be at least 17 years old (or 16 at NYBC’s New York drives with appropriate written parental/guardian permission), weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in good health in order to qualify as a donor.
Traditionally, holiday and post-holiday seasons are low periods for blood donations for various reasons, say NYBC officials. But the severity of this year’s blood shortage is attributed to the poor conditions of the economy, they say.
Normally, the NYBC would have reserved blood supplies that would be able to support hospitals for five days. But with the decline of donors, their reserves are now only able to provide hospital support for two days.
When there is a shortage, hospitals ration blood supplies and cancel elective surgeries, according to NYBC official Leslie Gonzalez.
St. John’s University was the recipient of the NYBC Diamond Award in 2007 and 2008. Last year, the university’s blood donor campaign resulted in a total of 1,774 blood donations.
“No one college in our five boroughs did more or gave more [than St. John’s] in the past year to help us save lives,” said Rolf Kovenetsky, NYBC Vice President for Corporate and Community Relations.
St. John’s welcomes all to donate with the hope of saving lives this winter. For more information, call 718-990-1941.