Blood Drive To Honor Trooper Killed In Line Of Duty

GREENWOOD LAKE, NY — A blood drive is being held Saturday in honor of a state trooper killed in the line of duty.

The New York Blood Center is holding the drive in honor of South Carolina State Trooper Eric Nicholson at Greenwood Lake Ambulance, 74 Windermere Ave. in Greenwood Lake.

It will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Nicholson, 28, died in the line of duty, just one hour after making a blood donation. He was raised in Greenwood Lake, where his mother Anne Nicholson is hosting the blood drive to honor her son.

Donors can schedule appointments by calling 1-800-933-2566 or visiting www.nybc.org.

Representatives of the New York Blood Center said that, pre-pandemic, mobile blood drives were hosted by high schools, colleges, businesses and other organizations and made up about 75 percent of the region's incoming blood supply.

The number of blood drives has dropped by two-thirds this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hospital needs are well above pre-pandemic levels while donations continue to lag behind and never reach the ideal level of five to seven days.

The New York Blood Center is in need of all blood types and encourages first-time donors to sign up to make an appointment.

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.

Like Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.