Blood Drive Wednesday at UMDNJ

University of Medicine and Dentristry of New Jersey-The University Hospital is holding an emergency blood drive Wednesday in response to a blood supply shortage in wake of Hurricane Sandy.

The drive will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building, grand foyer, B level and is sponsored by UMDNJ-The University Hospital and New Jersey Blood Services.

New Jersey Blood Services, a division of the New York Blood Center, serves more than 20 million people in New York City, Long Island, Hudson Valley and New Jersey.

The center estimated the blood supply is down more than 6,000 units following Hurricane Sandy.

"We anticipated some of the potential effects of Hurricane Sandy, and delivered blood in advance to our 200 partner hospitals," said NYBC Vice President Rob Purvis. “Our first priority remains getting them whatever they need for the care of patients, including the surgeries that had to be delayed last week.

About one in seven people entering a hospital needs flood and the shelf life of platelets is only about five days, the Blood Center said in a press release. The shelf life of red blood cells is 42 days.

Blood donors receive free mini-medical exams on site including information about their temperature, blood pressure and hematocrit level. Eligible donors include those people at least age 16 (with parental permission), who weigh a minimum of 110 pounds, are in good health and meet all Food & Drug Administration and NY or NJ State Department of Health donor criteria. People over 75 may donate with a doctor's note.