Volunteer Donors Invited to
Celebrate Spring With Their
Life-Giving Blood Donations!

Spring 2015

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Community Blood Services invites its volunteer blood donors to celebrate the arrival of spring by making their next blood, platelet or plasma donations at a convenient donor center in New Jersey.

�The arrival of spring signifies the rebirth of life. What better way to celebrate than to schedule a life-giving donation to help patients in our community hospitals rebuild the supply which was so hard hit by the stormy weather and frigid temperatures this past winter,� said Karen Ferriday, community affairs director at Community Blood Services.

There has been an ongoing shortage since winter began, she said, noting canceled blood drives and donor appointments as the result on back-to-back storms resulted in the inability to collect hundreds of life-giving units of blood. Continuous bad weather across the nation also canceled delivery flights and created shortages at blood centers nationwide that usually were able to help supplement the supply at Community Blood Services.

�As the weather improves and people get back outdoors we hope they will make a stop at their local blood center or a nearby blood drive to help replenish the supply,� Ferriday said.

All eligible blood donors are asked to call 201-251-3703 or click here for locations/hours at the Paramus, Lincoln Park, Montvale or Parsippany donor centers in New Jersey or at another convenient mobile blood drive or donation site in the New Jersey or New York area. Donors also can call or click here to schedule online.

All types are needed but the need for Type O negative and platelets, as well as AB male plasma for a patient in a local hospital, is especially critical, Ferriday said.

O negative blood donors represent only 7% of the population so the supply must constantly be replenished, Ferriday said. Type O negative blood is in most demand by hospitals because they are "universal donors" whose blood can be transfused into anyone in emergency rooms and trauma situations when there is no time for blood typing.

Ferriday said platelets, used to treat cancer patients and patients with other blood disorders, are also urgently needed. The center must collect at least 55 platelets each day to meet patients� needs at local hospitals and has been falling short of that goal.

Another way community members can help is to schedule a blood drive during the spring months with their organization, business, school or place of worship to help rebuild the supply. Call 201-389-0409 for more information or to schedule your drive.

Community Blood Services provides blood and blood products to more than 30 hospitals, medical centers and trauma centers in New Jersey and New York, including HackensackUMC hospitals (NJ), St. Joseph�s Healthcare System in Paterson/Wayne (NJ), The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood (NJ), Atlantic Health System hospitals (NJ) and Orange Regional Medical Center (NY).