"Irene" Affects Paramus Donor Center
Volunteer Blood Donors Urgently Needed This Week!

August, 2011

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Community Blood Services is asking volunteer blood and platelet donors to schedule appointments to donate today, Monday, August 29th and throughout the week and Labor Day weekend to help replenish the blood supply which was seriously impacted by Hurricane Irene.

Donors are being asked to call 866-228-1500 to schedule an appointment to donate today and tomorrow at the Paramus Donor Center, 970 Linwood Avenue West. As a result of power outages Sunday and early Monday, the center�s hours of operation have changed on both those days. Donors can donate on bloodmobiles in the parking lot at the donor center starting at noon on Monday through 8 p.m. On Tuesday, August 30th they can donate from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Regular hours are expected to resume on Wednesday, August 31st. Donors can also schedule online.

In New York, the hours for donors to donate at the New Windsor Donor Center, 575 Hudson Valley Avenue, Suite 206 have been lengthened on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 30th and 31 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Community Blood Services is currently assessing its abilities to collect at its Lincoln Park (NJ) donor center, 63 Beaverbrook Road, Suite 304, which is normally open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Please call 866-228-1500 for hours of operation at that center.

The Paramus donor center had to close and four community blood drives were canceled on Sunday because of Hurricane Irene. As a result, the center was unable to collect about 150 units of lifesaving blood and platelets to ship to the more than 25 community hospitals it serves in its New Jersey and New York.

Community Blood Services has been operating with less than a day�s supply of blood and all blood types and blood products are needed, including plasma for treating trauma patients and platelets for cancer patients. At least 250 volunteer donors are normally needed each day to meet its hospitals� needs.

"There is an extremely critical need for blood donors to come out this week to our local centers and blood drives to ensure lifesaving blood and platelets are available when seriously ill or injured patients need them," said Karen Ferriday, community affairs director at Community Blood Services.

"It is hard enough during the summer months to keep blood on the shelves because donors are away on vacation and there are fewer blood drives. In addition, the week before and through the Labor Day weekend is always difficult because people are traveling and not thinking about donating," Ferriday said.

Ferriday said many donors who normally might donate this week may not be able to do so because they are involved in cleanup following the hurricane.

"For this reason we urge all eligible donors who are able to get to one of our donor centers or community drives after the storm to please do so. You can really make a difference," Ferriday said.

Donors in New Jersey can also donate at a local community blood drive this week being sponsored by West Bergen Health Care and the YMCA and YWCA of Ridgewood on Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 112 Oak St., Ridgewood. Tracey DeMarco, the blood drive coordinator, can be called at 201-444--3550, ext. 7130 for more information.

Donors who donate at any donor center through Wednesday, August 31 will receive a complimentary WineTote �Chill It� as a thank you for taking time out of their busy schedules to donate.

Whole blood donors must be healthy, 17-75 years old (16 with parental permission) and weigh at least 110 pounds, Donors also receive complimentary health screenings, including non-fasting cholesterol and glucose screenings.