Morris Plains Rotary Club to Hold Labor Day Blood Drive

The Morris Area Community Blood Program, sponsored by the Morris Plains Rotary Club, is holding a blood drive on Labor Day weekend to help with the severe blood shortage that is expected to occur as a result of the summer vacation season on top of the holiday weekend. The blood drive will be held on Saturday, August 30th at the Morris Plains Presbyterian Church, 400 Speedwell Avenue, Morris Plains from 8:00am to 2:00pm.

New Jersey Blood Services advises that there is a critical shortage of blood for all northern New Jersey hospitals, especially as we approach the holiday. While the typical donated blood in this region is at an already low one and a half day supply, around holiday times it can dip to a perilously low half-day’s inventory.

Holiday times result in especially severe shortages as schools and corporations that host blood drives are closed on days that may otherwise be used for blood collection.

The shortage is so severe, that during a five or six hour blood drive, blood bank couriers will come by as many as three times to pick up the blood that has been collected so far to get it to the lab and into the system as quickly as possible.

For more information on the blood drive, contact Larry Ripley at 973-539-4598 or larryripley@verizon.net

To learn more about Rotary in your community, call 1-844-ROTARY-3