Nor’easter freezes St. Patrick’s blood drive

The Glen Cove Knights of Columbus at St. Patrick’s Church held a blood drive on Sunday Jan. 30, which coincided with the weekend of Long Island’s first nor’easter of the new year. The previous day’s inclement weather, along with a general decline in donations due to Covid-19, gave cause for concern as to what would be the blood drive’s outcome. It was scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

The New York Blood Center’s fixed donation sites were closed during the nor’easter, which left behind mounds of snow that blocked curbsides and parking lots.  Jeffrey Carpman, a driver with the New York Blood Center, brought his shovel from his hometown in Douglaston, Queens, to the center’s location in Westbury.  

 “I took a chance going to Westbury,” he said. “I didn’t know if the drive was still on.” 

When she saw New York Blood Center’s truck outside of St Patrick’s, Glen Cove resident Noreen Heffernnam began to worry there would be less people donating  because of the storm. 

Although she didn’t know about the blood drive Heffernnam ended up being the first in line. After a quick registration process and her own medical questions answered, she was donating within minutes. “I would feel guilty if I just walked by,” Heffernnam explained.  

One of the first faces seen at blood drives are of donor relations associates like Jacqueline Aquino, of Elmont, who is often seen reassuring nervous first-time donors in both English and in Spanish. “A second of discomfort saves three lives,” she said. 

There was a sign that directed church goers to the basement after the 9:30 a.m. morning mass. But donations were paused 45 minutes later because the temperature in the church’s basement had dropped to 58 degrees, which caused  more problems than discomfort. Current regulations state donations can only be accepted at room temperature because phlebotomists have trouble accessing veins below room temperature. 

A three-hour grace period was issued from the first low temperature reading, but the St. Patrick’s thermostat decreased even further to 56 degrees. At 11:15, phlebotomist Nicholos Yacoob was directed by the New York Blood Center to stop accepting donations.  

Martha Benitez, of Glen Cove, was asked to wait while the event was put on pause. She said she was upset that the basement was cold and disappointed when that the event was cancelled.  

 “With my first son, I lost a lot of blood,” she said. “When I had him, I needed a blood transfusion.” 

Since then, Benitez has been donating blood for 12 years. 

Those who were turned away from donating were encouraged to download the official New York Blood Center app on their iPhone and Android devices to find the closest donation centers. The app also allows users to  manage appointments and view their donation history. 

Although the blood drive ended up being a short one, within the three-hour window the blood center received nine whole blood donations and two “double red” donations. There were 13 units of blood taken in all, which will save up to 39 lives. 

On average, the New York Blood Center estimates between 50-75 donations per event. Donations have decreased because of the center’s decline in events outside of their fixed donation centers, which account for 60 percent of donations. The shortage of donations nationwide led the Red Cross to declare a national emergency.