By Nicole Flatow
Last week’s blackout has aggravated a blood supply crisis in Queens, an official of the New York Blood Center said.
The New York Blood Center currently has two days’ worth of blood stored, said spokeswoman Julie Robinson-Tingue. Anything less than three days’ worth of blood is considered critical shortage, and ideally the center would like to have a stock to last 10 days, Robinson-Tingue said.
During the blackout, back-up refrigeration generators preserved stored blood supplies, but canceled and postponed blood drives resulted in the loss of almost two days’ worth of blood and platelet collections, said Dr. James Louie, vice president of the New York Blood Center.
“The only problem with our refrigerators is now they are close to empty,” Louie said.
Robinson-Tingue said hospitals served by the blood center have had to alter operating schedules and cancel elective surgeries on account of the blood shortage.
She had not noticed any marked increase in blood donations since the blackout, although some people had responded to messages that the blood center was in a crisis situation.
“Let’s put it this way: we have not seen the dramatic increase we’d like to see,” Robinson-Tingue said.
The center, which supplies blood to the five boroughs, Hudson Valley, northern New Jersey and Long Island, has been faced with a serious shortage of blood since June 2. Robinson Tingue said a crisis that lasts all summer is rare, although there are particular times of year when drops in the amounts of blood donated are expected.
Officials at the blood center suspect the shortfall was partly due to economic factors and to the war in Iraq. During a poor economy, there are fewer employees eligible to donate.
“Also with the war this year, a lot of the minds are thinking that a lot of folks stepped up to donate in anticipation of troops going out, and those same people have not returned,” Robinson Tingue said.
She said the trick is trying to recapture those people who donated in March or April and who have not come back to donate again.
Queens does not have its own donor center, so blood drives are community-based. In addition to regular drives held at religious centers and other sites, many businesses hold private blood drives for their employees.
Companies interested in sponsoring a blood drive can contact the blood center’s hotline. There is no cost for holding the drive, and the center provides all paper materials and food items.
“We bring everything in, set everything up, and leave things just as we found them,” Robinson Tingue said.
During a crisis, the blood center tries to extend scheduled drives and to add staff to planned drives to accommodate what the blood center hopes will be a larger turnout.
“We blanket the media waves saying please, come out and donate,” Robinson Tingue said.
She reminded donors that they can donate as often as six times per year. Donors must be age 17-75, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be in good health.
The blood center can be contacted at 1-800-933-BLOOD or www.nybloodcenter.org.
Upcoming blood drives:
Aug. 29: Home Depot, Woodhaven Blvd., Glendale
Aug. 31: St. Theresa of Avala, South Ozone Park,
Sept. 3: Main Street subway stop in Briarwood?
Sept. 5: North Fork Bank, 214-01 Northern Blvd., Bayside
Sept. 6: Rosyln Savings Bank, 247-53 Jamaica Ave., Bellerose
Reach reporter Nicole Flatow by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
