Any man 40 years old or older who successfully donates whole blood or
platelets at a Community Blood Services’ center or mobile blood drive
from September 25th to 30th can request a complimentary PSA assay test –
a simple prostate cancer screening test that can help detect potential
disease – at the time of his donation.
“Offering complimentary PSA testing during National Prostate Awareness
Month is one way for us to show our commitment to the health of our
community members,” said Susan Mysliwiec, assistant vice president of
recruitment at Community Blood Services.
She said donors can make an appointment to donate whole blood, or find a
nearby mobile blood drive, by calling 201-251-3703 in New Jersey or
845-294-3362 in New York. Walk-ins are also welcome at the centers,
Mysliwiec said, although an appointment is needed to donate platelets.
Mysliwiec said Community Blood Services is in constant need of blood and
platelet donors in order to maintain an adequate blood supply for
patients at the 38 hospitals it serves in northern New Jersey and
southern New York.
The Paramus center, located at 970 Linwood Avenue West, is open Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The
Lincoln Park center at 63 Beaverbrook Road, Suite 304, is open Tuesday
and Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hours at the Goshen site, 7 Coates Drive, Suite 5, are: Monday, 11 a.m.
to 7 p.m.; Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 8
p.m.; and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center is closed on Fridays.
PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) is a natural protein produced by normal
prostate glands in healthy men. The test measures PSA levels in the
blood. An elevated PSA blood level may be a warning sign in men for
prostate cancer, other urinary tract diseases or conditions such as
benign enlargement of the prostate gland.
According to the American Cancer Society, about 235,000 new cases of
prostate cancer will be diagnosed this year in the United States and an
estimated 27,000 will die from the disease. |
