Community Blood Services� Holiday Hours

December 2014

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Community Blood Services of NJ/NY will close early Christmas Eve, December 24 and New Year�s Eve, December 31 in celebration of the holidays.

The last platelet appointments on those days at the Paramus, Lincoln Park and Montvale donor centers will be at 1:30 p.m., while the last whole blood donations will be collected at 2 p.m.

The Paramus and Montvale donor centers will be closed Christmas Day, December 25 and New Year�s Day, January 1 but will resume normal business hours on Friday, December 26 and Friday, January 2.

Ferriday reminded donors that the blood supply normally dips dangerously low at this time of the year because there are fewer blood drives and donors are busy traveling. She encouraged donors to call 201-251-3703 or click here to schedule one more donation before year�s end to help boost the holiday supply. Click here for locations and hours of the donor centers.

�There is a critical need to build up the blood supply for patients at the 18 hospitals we serve this holiday season. It�s important that we maintain the supply in case illness and inclement weather during the winter months keeps donors away or result in canceled blood drives,� said Karen Ferriday, director of community affairs at Community Blood Services.

Ferriday noted there has been an ongoing, urgent need for Type O negative blood donors, as well as platelet and AB male plasma donors. O negative, the universal blood type, can be transfused to all patients. Platelets are needed to treat patients diagnosed with cancer or other blood disorders and male plasma is needed for patients with bleeding trauma victims.

�We want to thank our dedicated and unselfish blood, platelet and plasma donors for all they have done this past year to make a difference in the lives of patients in our community,� said Karen Ferriday, director of community affairs at Community Blood Services. �Our volunteer donors are the lifeblood of our community and we couldn�t fulfill our mission without them.�

Ferriday said Community Blood Services must collect at least 250 pints of blood daily to meet the needs of patients at the more than 18 hospitals supplied by the not-for-profit organization in New Jersey and New York State, including HackensackUMC, St. Joseph�s Healthcare System in Paterson/Wayne and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.