According to statistics, Long Island¹s blood supply is currently lagging 25 percent behind what is needed to serve patients in our area. The New York Blood Center, the major supplier of blood in the New York-New Jersey community, has been forced to issue a second emergency appeal for donations.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer has jumped on the appeal bandwagon, unveiling a new five-point plan to increase blood donations throughout our area. Type O, the universal blood type, is precariously low, as is Rh negative, which is given to patients who require an exact match. Last month Schumer called on federal, state and local governments to give employees compensatory time if they donate blood during working hours. He urged businesses to follow suit. The senator also called on the federal Department of Health and Human Services to spearhead a public relations campaign to increase awareness of the problem, along with the blood supply.
Schumer¹s plan includes declaring a blood shortage emergency in the state; allocating $10 million for a campaign to promote blood donation, including public service announcements on public transportation; creating a task force to bolster sustained awareness of the need for regular blood donations; increasing efforts to organize donations in work places; investing money in research to further understand how mad cow disease and other diseases are carried in our blood, and expanding research to ensure that the blood supply remains safe and adequate.
Among those needing blood are cancer and surgery patients, accident and trauma victims, and newborn babies. The blood supply is currently so low that elective surgeries are being threatened.
The New York Blood Center recently reported that the region is short approximately 500 donations a day, or 15,000 a month. The center estimates that some 2,000 additional Long Islanders a month would have to donate in order for the blood supply to return to a safe level. Thirty people a day in both Nassau and Suffolk counties could turn the tide and get the blood banks flowing again.
Donating blood is simple, and made even easier if you follow the guidelines of the American Red Cross. The organization suggests, among other things, getting a good night¹s sleep prior to donating, eating a good breakfast or lunch, drinking extra water and fluids but avoiding coffee, tea and other beverages that contain caffeine, and eating iron-rich foods prior to donating. When donating, the Red Cross suggests you wear a shirt with sleeves that can be rolled up past the elbow.
Anyone who is healthy, at least 17 years old, weighs at least 110 pounds and has not donated in the past eight weeks is eligible to donate. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, you can still donate as long as you are being treated and the condition is under control.
Any one of us might be the next person in need of blood. Why not be the next in line to donate? To find a blood drive in your area, as well as a complete list of guidelines for donating blood, call (800) 933-2566 or visit www.redcross.org.
