Blood Emergency Has Donations Urgently Needed On Long Island

LONG ISLAND, NY — There is an urgent need for blood donations on Long Island and the New York Blood Center is getting the word out.

Michele Lariviere, director of donor recruitment was a guest on a special edition of "Patch AM" on Tuesday.

She said the New York Blood Center likes to have a 5-7 day supply of blood on hand. However, it's down to three days worth for most types and even lower for the rarer O negative and O positive.

They are holding blood drives every day at their locations. On Long Island, they are in Lake Success, Massapequa, Melville, Port Jefferson Station, Rockville Centre and Ronkonkoma.

"It shouldn't just be tragedies that make us think. It really should be something that people think about all the time," Lariviere said.

Blood donated staying local is a top priority, but "we give the blood who needs it. That's the wonderful thing about donating blood," she said.

You can watch the full interview below.