Platelet Donors Urgently Needed
at Community Blood Services!

May 2014

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Community Blood Services URGENTLY needs platelet donors to help seriously ill patients in our community hospitals.

�Community Blood Services must collect about 50 platelets a day to meet our hospitals� needs but we are falling short of that goal,� said Karen Ferriday, community affairs director at Community Blood Services, noting the blood center has only been collecting about a third of those needed in recent days.

Platelets are needed for patients with blood disorders, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and patients who need open heart surgery or are undergoing organ transplants. Ferriday said just one cancer patient can use up to eight units of platelets a week.

�The supply of platelets must constantly be replenished because platelets only have a shelf life of about 3� days after testing is completed,� she added.

Patients may have to wait for their transfusions if supplies drop further, Ferriday said, noting the center is concerned that collections may drop further this week because donors may be away on vacation for the Memorial Day weekend.

Anyone interested in scheduling an appointment to donate platelets or learning more about how to become a platelet donor can call 201-251-3733 for hours and locations. You can also click here to schedule your appointment.

The new Paramus Donor center at 1 West Ridgewood Ave., Suite 208 is open seven days a week, while the Lincoln Park donor center, 63 Beaverbrook Road, Suite 304 is open Monday through Wednesday and Saturday. The Montvale donor room, 102 Chestnut Ridge Road (corner of Grand Avenue), is open Monday through Friday. Click here for hours.

Community Blood Services has its headquarters in Montvale, New Jersey. The not-for-profit organization provides blood and blood products for patients in 18-plus hospitals in New Jersey and New York, including Hackensack University Medical Center, St. Joseph�s Healthcare System in Paterson/Wayne, The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains.