At the New York Blood Center (NYBC) we have been working hard to meet whatever blood need rises to the top as quickly as possible.
Convalescent plasma was the urgent need in April, giving way to increased need for red blood cells in May as CoViD-19 patients developed blood clots and were put on blood thinners (causing bleeding), and now with NY and NJ hospitals back to admitting non-CoViD-19 patients, the regular need for red cells, platelets and plasma for those patients is resurgent.
One thing is for sure… blood donation remains an essential activity if we are to help people survive the myriad health crises that are before us.
And to do that, your help is needed.
We are asking you once again to donate blood at the Riverdale Community Blood Drive, hosted by Riverdale Temple.
As many of you likely recall, this blood drive was initially conceived of as an interfaith effort to help alleviate the typical summer blood shortages, that we experience. This summer is anything but typical – yet blood shortages persist.
Please find the updated permission form for 16-year-olds, which went into effect on June 22, 2020, in English and in Spanish.
Please remember that a 16-year-old who person arrives at the blood drive with the signed form does not need to have a parent/guardian present. However, if at the drive itself, a 16-year-old asks for a blank form, we are required to see their parent/guardian as the health department requires us to have a reasonable expectation that the parent/guardian actually had an opportunity to sign it.
If you have any questions about blood donation during the CoViD-19 pandemic, please visit here.
The on-line schedule for this blood drive is here.
One of the most important measures that we have implemented in order to ensure social distancing for safety during our blood drives is to strongly recommend that donors make an appointment to donate.
Walk-in donors are only admitted to the blood drive as there is an open appointment slot for them. This controls the number of people entering a blood drive per 15 minutes.
Doctors’ offices and other community services have implemented similar measures, resulting in a very smooth transition to appointments at most of our blood drives. It is the way of our world now.
Address:
Riverdale Temple
4545 Independence Avenue
Bronx, NY 10471
