Gioia & New York Blood Center Call for City Aid in Expansion of Mobile Blood Donor Coa...( Expansion Of Successful And Effec...),Health

Expansion Of Successful And Effective Campaign Could Help Prevent Another Blood Crisis, Allow More New Yorkers To Give

NYC Has Just Six Coaches, Orlando Has 35!!!

NEW YORK, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With New York in the midst of a dangerous blood emergency, New York City Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Queens), Chairman of the City Council Committee on Oversight and Investigation, and representatives of New York Blood Center called for city aid in expanding the successful mobile donation program that has helped New Yorkers give blood all over the city.

New York Blood Center has issued an urgent, emergency appeal for blood after the center's supplies reached critically low levels. High gas prices and a tough economy have slowed down blood donations in the summer months, which are already typical low because school is out and many people are on vacation. New York Blood Center must collect 2,000 units of blood every day to have enough supply to help patients from New York and New Jersey. The blood supply is currently down to a 3-day supply, and falling, meaning that New York is at dangerously low levels.

Other cities make extensive use of mobile donor coaches. The City of Orlando uses 35 donor coaches. Both Los Angeles and Dallas use large numbers of coaches because both cities have large geographic areas to traverse. New York City currently has just six dedicated donor coaches, all in constant use and many in need of repair.

To increase the total amount of donors, and help fend off the crisis, Councilman Gioia and New York Blood Center are calling for City aid in the expansion of the mobile blood donation program. The wildly successful program allows New York Blood Center to reach communities in the five New York City boroughs with historically low donation rates, but whose blood is critically needed to help those suffering from a variety of health conditions, including sickle cell anemia, thalassemia and leukemia. Statistic
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