Blood bank begs New Yorkers for donations after losing 3,000 units due to storm
New York Blood Center was forced to close all of its drives today due to Winter Storm Juno, which is 'an anomaly,' one NYBC executive said. Donating takes one hour and can save multiple lives.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 4:55 PM
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GETTY/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTOBlood drives were shut down on Tuesday, but will be up and running again for the rest of the week.
New York Blood Center won't be receiving an estimated 3,000 scheduled donations due to Winter Storm Juno.
It's the largest single loss since Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Volunteers presiding over individual drives began canceling blood drives for Monday through Thursday yesterday before the storm hit. Later, NYBC decided to officially cancel any remaining drives and events for Tuesday.
"There are zero blood drives today, and our donors centers are closed — which is an anomaly," said Andrea Cefarelli, executive director of Donor Recruitment at NYBC, said in a statement.
The organization is urging people to take a one-hour break from their work or snow days to donate. Many blood drives will be open Wednesday through the rest of the week. Find a drive near you here.
"Now is the time to make a difference," Cefarelli added.
Almost 2,000 donations are needed each day in New York and New Jersey, particularly from those with O-negative blood, who are deemed "universal donors." One in every seven hospital admissions requires a blood transfusion. Supplies must be regularly replaced because blood donations aren't viable for long.
Rob Purvis, NYBC vice president of Customer Service, said that the organization's hospital partners have enough blood to make it through Monday and Tuesday.
One donation can save multiple lives.
