Help Save Lives in Our Community
During National Blood Donor Month!

January 2016

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Community Blood Services extends a sincere thank you to its many blood, plasma and platelet donors for their ongoing lifesaving donations during 2015 and invites donors who are eligible to donate in January to help celebrate National Blood Donor Month by making their next donation.

�We want to thank our volunteer donors during National Blood Donor Month for their ongoing donations and remind them how important they are to the patients whose lives they help to save in our community hospitals,� said Karen Ferriday, community affairs director at Community Blood Services.

Noting the blood supply dips during the holiday season and with the arrival of winter, Ferriday said �It�s important that we continue to rebuild our supply in case illness and frigid or stormy winter weather keep donors away or lead to the cancellation of blood drives.�

Donors can call 201-251-3703 or 866-228-1500 (toll free) to make an appointment to donate or to find a convenient donor collection site or mobile blood drive in New Jersey or New York. Or they can click here to schedule an appointment online or click here for locations and hours. Whole blood donors also can walk in but appointments are needed to donate platelets.

Donors must be healthy, 16-75 years old (16 and 17 years olds need parental consent), and weigh at least 110 pounds.

Community Blood Services provides life-giving blood and blood products to more than 22 hospitals in New Jersey and New York, including HackensackUMC, Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, St. Joseph's Healthcare System in Wayne and Paterson, and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.

Ferriday said all blood types are needed to meet the needs of patients in those hospitals, especially O negative. O negative, the universal blood type, can be transfused to all patients. Platelets are also needed to treat patients diagnosed with cancer or other blood disorders and male plasma is needed for trauma victims.