Blood Drive To Relieve Summer Shortage Scheduled For Aug. 1 In Nyack

NYACK, NY — Montefiore Nyack Hospital is hosting a blood drive Aug. 1 with the New York Blood Center to ease the national blood shortage declared by the American Red Cross.

“One of the most distressing situations for a doctor is to have a hospital full of patients and an empty refrigerator without any blood products,” said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer of the Red Cross, the nation’s largest blood supplier. “A person needs lifesaving blood every two seconds in our country — and its availability can be the difference between life and death, however, blood is only available thanks to the generosity of those who roll up a sleeve to donate.”

The NYBC’s Bloodmobile will be stationed from 1 -7 p.m. in the hospital's Physician’s Lot, located off Rte. 9W between Fifth and Midland avenues. Appointments are highly encouraged.

Blood donation centers often experience low blood supplies in the summer. Plus, over the last 20 years, the number of people donating blood through the Red Cross has fallen by about 40 percent, officials said.

Yet donating blood is one of the easiest ways to give back to your community, to save your neighbors' lives.

When a person donates one unit of blood, it can be separated into individual components to save multiple lives.

• Red blood cells are given to people who have blood disorders, such as sickle cell disease or chronic anemia caused by kidney failure or bleeding in the stomach. They are also given to people who have acute blood loss from trauma. Sometimes babies born very early need a transfusion to increase the number of red blood cells in their bodies.
• Platelets are most often used to treat cancer. They are also given to patients who have open-heart surgery and organ transplants.
• Plasma transfusions are used for patients with liver failure, bad infections and serious burns.
• Whole blood is usually given to people who have life-threatening injuries or people in surgery.

To donate blood and platelets at Montefiore Nyack’s blood drive, please schedule an appointment at Donor Portal - New York Blood Center (nybc.org).*

*Automated red cell donation takes a bit longer and has additional eligibility requirements. If you’re not sure if you qualify, schedule a whole blood appointment, and ask staff when you arrive if you qualify for an auto-red procedure.

You must be at least 16 years old to donate, be in good health, and weigh at least 110 lbs.