Sometimes being negative is a valuable quality.
New York Blood Center (NYBC) is calling upon the community to donate blood to help keep the blood supply up through the summer months. “Summer is always a challenge for us,” Said Harvey Schaffler, Executive Director of Long Island Blood Services, the division of NYBC that services Queens.
“We receive around twenty percent of our blood from schools, and during the summer months those donations stop, which leaves a void in our donations.”
The economic hardships have taken their toll on blood collection as well.
“We’re still experiencing a shortfall from the economy,” said Leslie Gonzalez, spokesperson for the NYBC. “With layoffs and other worries for companies, they’re much less focused on giving blood.”
The blood center is particularly concerned with their supply of Rh- blood, as people with Rh-negative blood, including A-, B- and O-, comprise a mere fifteen percent of the population, yet their blood can be safely transfused to the rest of the population. Ethnic diversity among donors is also something the blood center is looking for. “When looking for a blood match, there are factors beyond A, B, and O that go into it,” explained Schaffler. “Blood from a donor with a similar ethnic background is a better match, so diversity in donors is something we aim for.”
Hospital use of blood products remains high – due to surgeries, emergencies and care of cancer patients. About one in seven people entering a hospital needs blood. Summer is also “trauma season” for most emergency rooms.
“Most importantly; people need to understand blood is perishable, and its only source is volunteer donors. We constantly need people to give blood,” commented Schaffler.
“Many people who consider themselves donors in actuality haven’t donated for years, and others wait for a headline or news anchors to talk about an emergency, but the blood that’s used in those situations was given days before, which is why we need people to give as often as they can.”
A person is able to give blood every 56 days. The typical amount taken is a pint of blood, which could potentially save three lives. For more information on NYBC or to give blood, call 800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.
