Islanders host blood drive at UBS Arena

New York Blood Center is partnering with the New York Islanders to recruit blood donors and increase blood donations in the New York region.

New York Blood Center hosted a blood drive with the Islanders on Jan. 16 at UBS Arena in Elmont in the Acrisure Great Hall. All presenting donors at this blood drive received a voucher for two complimentary tickets to a 2023-2024 regular season Islanders home game.

The Islanders have been a longtime supporter of New York Blood Center as the team has been hosting blood drives since 2000 and these blood drives have resulted in a total of 2,195 blood donations so far. The Jan. 16 event was the 22nd blood drive the hockey team has hosted with New York Blood Center to help save lives in the region.

“We are thankful to the New York Islanders for being such wonderful partners for more than two decades,” said Andrea Cefarelli, senior vice president at New York Blood Center in a news release. “Your dedication to ensuring the region maintains a robust blood supply is one of the many reasons that we are proud to work with such a phenomenal team. It is our hope that fun partnerships like this will help encourage blood donations this National Blood Donor Month.”

January, which is National Blood Donor Month, is a difficult time to collect blood donations, as school breaks, family vacations, holiday travel and cold weather all contribute to making blood donations less of a priority. Additionally, New York Blood Center has seen a 25 percent drop in donations in the lass three weeks, resulting in 5,000 fewer donations and prompting a blood emergency declaration.

“The Islanders are proud to continue our partnership with the New York Blood Center and to do our part in rallying around the need for donations during this critical time,” Executive Director for Islanders Community Relations Ann Rina said in a news release.

According to the American Red Cross, someone in the United States needs blood every two seconds. Blood donors can help patients of all ages — cancer patients, trauma patients, sickle cell patients, burn patients, organ transplant patients and patients with chronic diseases.

Blood donors can give every 56 days, and platelet donors can give twice per month. The Food and Drug Administration recently lifted several blood donor eligibility restrictions. To view current eligibility guidelines, visit NYBC.org or call (800) 688-0900.