Community Corner
New York Blood Center Partners With Islip FD For Blood Drive
A firefighter injured in a 2011 Brooklyn blaze continues to partner with NYBC and credits donors with saving his life.
Press release from New York Blood Center:
Sept. 15, 2020
Firefighter Rob Weidmann will never forget the blood donors who saved his life. New York Blood Center will be teaming up with the Islip Fire Department to host a blood drive at Weidmann’s fire house on September 16 from 2 pm-8 pm in hope that other’s lives will be saved, too.
Find out what's happening in Islipfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Weidman, a donor himself, was badly injured while fighting a blaze in Crown Heights in 2011, and credits those who donated his rare O-negative blood type with saving his life.
Before COVID-19, mobile blood drives hosted by schools, organizations, and businesses made up around 75% of the region’s incoming blood supply, but all drives had to be cancelled for several months. New York Blood Center began hosting a limited number of drives again this summer, however they are far from the number of drives per month needed to support area hospitals. If you have a large space available and would like to host a blood drive, please reach out to Tina Kovolisky, 516.478.5017.
Find out what's happening in Islipfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
We are taking extra precautions to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19. 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.
WHERE: 28 Monell Ave, Islip, NY 11751
WHEN: Wednesday, September 16, 2020 from 2 pm to 8 pm
WHO: Blood Donors, Volunteers, and New York Blood Center representatives
WHY: It only takes one hour to donate, and a single donation can save multiple lives. Roughly one in seven hospital admissions require a blood transfusion. Those in need include: cancer patients, accident, burn, or trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia, and many more.
This press release was produced by New York Blood Center. The views expressed here are the author's own.
