4 Memorial Blood Drives To Be Held In Suffolk

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Four blood drives are scheduled for Wednesday in memory of Scott Martella, the former communications director for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, the county announced.

The blood drives are set to run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be hosted by New York Blood Center (NYBC) and Suffolk.

The blood drives are slated to be held at:

• Riverhead County Center, 300 Center Drive, Riverhead.
• DSS MacArthur Building, 3455 Veterans Memorial Highway, Ronkonkoma.
• Suffolk County Fire Academy, 103 East Ave., Yaphank.
• H. Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge.

Martella died in a car crash on the Long Island Expressway in 2016 at the age of 29. He was a life-long resident of Long Island, as he grew up in Smithtown and resided in Northport during his adult life. He was known as a talented, friendly, and overall good person who always had a big smile on his face, according to the county.

Martella wanted to do good throughout his community and would have wanted to help replenish the blood supply during this critical shortage. He served at various levels of local and state government, including as the youngest person elected to Smithtown’s school board and as an aide in the governor’s office. At the time of his death, Scott was working as the communications director for Bellone.

“Scott Martella was one of the most dedicated and talented public servants that I have had the pleasure of working with,” Bellone said. “He touched the lives of countless individuals and this year’s blood drive will not only help address the current critical blood shortage, but will honor his passion for giving back and his legacy and commitment to serving others.”

In addition to donating blood or instead of doing so, Suffolk County will be collecting school supplies at the four donation sites in support of the annual Back to School Drive hosted by Long Island Coalition for the Homeless. The school supplies drive will be in Martella's honor to benefit children in need on Long Island.

"NYBC encourages all who are able to sign up and donate blood today, especially during the summer months, when warmer weather and vacation plans make blood donation less of a priority," NYBC wrote. "One blood donation has the ability to save up to three lives."

The blood center is taking extra precautions to help prevent the person-to-person spread of the coronavirus. As always, people are not eligible to donate if they’re experiencing a cold, sore throat, respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms. Additional information on donor eligibility and COVID-19 precautions is available here.

To make an appointment at this blood drive, donors can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit this link. For those unable to make one of the events on Aug. 3, donors can also make a donation in Scott’s memory at any donor center or blood drive using the code 71573.