The Parish of Saints Philip and James, 1 Carow Place, St. James will host a New York Blood Center blood drive for the Paige Elizabeth Keely Foundation on Wednesday, May 10 from 1:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Paige was a first-grader at St. James Elementary who lost her life suddenly at the age of 6 in 2018 due to an undetected arteriovenous malformation AVM.
To make an appointment, please visit www.nybc.org/donate or call 800-933-BLOOD. Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison and Commack Fire District Commissioner Pat Fazio joined Susan Ciano, widow of Suffolk County Police Officer Glen Ciano, and representatives from New York Blood Center during a press conference on February 3 at the Commack Fire Department to announce the 13th annual blood drive named in memory of Officer Ciano on Saturday, Feb. 4.
There has been a chronic shortage of blood supplies in New York since the pandemic and blood supplies remain below the ideal five-day safety level. Types O-, O+, B-, and A- continue to hover at less than two-day levels.
The annual event is held in honor of Officer Ciano, who was responding to a call when he was killed by a drunk driver in Commack on February 22, 2009.
The blood drive will be held at the Commack Fire Department, located at 6309 Jericho Turnpike in Commack, on February 4 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 631-499-6690.
Community blood drive
New York Blood Centers have declared a blood emergency, their second in the last 75 days. The region’s blood supply is once again at a 1 to 3 day supply. In response, St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, 50 Route 25A, Smithtown will hold a community blood drive on Monday, Nov. 7 and Tuesday, Nov. 8 in the St. Vincent’s and St. Rafael’s Conference Rooms from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Appointments are preferred by calling 800-933-2566 but walk-ins welcomed.
BLOOD AND PLATELET DONORS URGENTLY NEEDED
New York Blood Center (NYBC) announced a blood emergency on Aug. 3, as the region’s ongoing heatwave, summer travel, and a recent spike in COVID-19 cases have caused a significant decrease in donations over the past several weeks. Hospitals and patients rely upon a steady flow of donors to receive life-saving blood donations, but these factors have caused the blood supply to become unstable. The blood supply currently stands at a 1-2-day level, which is well below the ideal level of 5-7-days.
NYBC is partnering with local breweries for their “Pint for a Pint” campaign, which runs from August 1st – September 10th at all donor centers and community blood drives. As a part of this campaign, all presenting blood donors will receive a voucher to redeem a free pint of beer, cider, wine, or soft drink at their local participating brewery or restaurant. Since March 2020, the number of first-time donors has dropped dramatically and creative campaigns like “Pint for Pint” aim to raise awareness as well as amplify the need for new blood donors.
Twenty-five establishments are participating in this campaign across the region. A full list of participating breweries and restaurants can be found here. Blood donors cannot redeem their voucher for alcohol on the day of their blood donation.
“Summer has always been a challenging time for the blood supply, and we are grateful to all of our partner breweries and restaurants for stepping up to help us during this critical time,” said Andrea Cefarelli, Senior Vice President at New York Blood Center. “All of our donor centers and blood drives are air-conditioned and donating blood could serve as a great break from record-breaking heat. Even better, we’ve partnered with breweries and restaurants all over the region for free beverages as a thank you for donating.”
“The brewing community is always willing to step up to help a great cause, and we can think of nothing more important than helping out our local blood centers, particularly during this time of extreme need,” said Paul Halayko President and Co-Owner of Newburgh Brewing Company. “We are more than happy to offer a free pint of beer to someone who selflessly gives blood to help save others, a small token of our appreciation to all the amazing donors.”
NYBC hosts blood drives every day in addition to their 19 area donor centers in order to reach donors and meet local hospital needs.
They are taking extra precautions to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19. As always, people are not eligible to donate if they’re experiencing a cold, sore throat, respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms. Additional information on donor eligibility and COVID-19 precautions is available here.
To make an appointment at a blood drive near you, donors can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit nybc.org/pint. Can’t donate blood? You can still support NYBC’s mission by texting ‘NYBC’ to ‘20222’ to give $25.
Join Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on Wednesday, Aug. 3, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. for a blood drive in honor of Scott Martella. Martella was a dedicated public servant who impacted thousands of lives across Long Island. The goal is to help thousands more by donating blood to combat the critical blood shortage.
There will be four donation sites across Suffolk County: H. Lee Dennison Building Plaza, 100 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge; DSS MacArthur Building Cafeteria; Suffolk County Fire Academy, Room K, 103 East Ave., Yaphank; and the Riverhead County Center Cafeteria, 300 Center Drive Riverhead. . Please join the effort and donate! To schedule an appointment, call 888-933-2566.
Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth, Huntington American Legion Post #360 and the Halesite Fire Department will hold back-to-back blood drives with New York Blood Center on Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22 in response to the emergency blood shortage.
“Our hospitals need the public’s help with the emergency blood shortage we are facing,” said Supervisor Ed Smyth. “One blood donation can save up to three lives — please donate share this life-saving gift.”
“Donating the American Legion to host a blood drive is just one element of our national mission statement, we are happy to do what we can for our community,” said Glenn Rodriguez of the Huntington American Legion Post #360.
“Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for blood donations is at an all-time high,” said Halesite Fire Department Chief Dom Spada. “The Halesite Fire Department will be holding an additional blood drive on Friday, April 22nd — please register online and donate the gift of life.”
Appointments are preferred however walk-ins will be welcomed if space permits. Please remember to eat, drink and bring your donor ID card or ID with name and photo. Masks are required for all donors regardless of vaccination status. For full list of COVID-19 safety protocols, please visit nybc.org/coronavirus.
Thursday, April 21
Supervisor Ed Smyth, the Town of Huntington and Huntington American Legion Post #360 will host a blood drive at the American Legion, 1 Mill Dam Road, Halesite on Thursday, April 21 3:30 to 8 p.m. To make an appointment, please contact: Ryen Hendricks at [email protected] or register online at: https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/292863
Friday, April 22
Halesite Fire Department will host a blood drive at the Halesite Fire House in the large meeting room upstairs at 1 N. New York Avenue, Halesite on Friday, April 22 from 3:30 to 8 p.m. All donors are asked to park in the municipal parking lot behind the fire department building, not in the area immediately around the building, as those spots are needed for fire department members, and enter through the back door of the building. To make an appointment, please register online at: https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/299416
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison and Commack Fire District Commissioner Pat Fazio joined Susan Ciano, widow of Suffolk County Police Officer Glen Ciano, and representatives from New York Blood Center during a press conference on February 10 at the Commack Fire Department to announce the 12th annual blood drive named in memory of Police Officer Glen Ciano on Saturday, Feb. 12.
There has been a chronic shortage of blood supplies in New York since the start of the pandemic and the recent blizzard resulted in 1000 fewer donations due to blood drive cancellations and low donor turnout. Blood supplies remain below the ideal five-day safety level, and types O-, O+ B- and A- continue to hover at less than two-day levels.
The annual event is held in honor of Officer Ciano, who was responding to a call when he was killed by a drunk driver in Commack on February 22, 2009.
The 12th annual Glen Ciano Blood Drive will be held at the Commack Fire Department, located at 6309 Jericho Turnpike in Commack, on February 12 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 631-499-6690.
Brookhaven Town Hall, 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville hosts a blood drive on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the 2nd floor auditorium. Appointments preferred by calling 1-800-933-2566 or by visiting www.nybc.org. All donors will be entered into a Home for the Holidays sweepstakes and receive a McDonald’s voucher. For more information, call 631-451-9100.
In conjunction with St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, Celebrate St. James hosts a blood drive at the St. James Community Cultural Arts Center, 176 Second St., St. James on Monday, Oct. 25 from noon to 6 p.m. All donors will be entered to win a $1,000 Home Depot Gift Card. To make an appointment, call 800-933-2566.
The Town of Smithtown, in partnership with New York Blood Center, hosts a blood drive at Smithtown Landing Country Club, 495 Landing Ave., Smithtown on Wednesday, Sept. 22 in the River View Room from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments preferred by calling 800-933-BLOOD or visit www.donate.nybc.org.
