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Every 2.5 seconds, someone needs blood, according to Community Blood Services based in Montvale.
Summer blood reserves are reduced to just a day's supply, according to Robert Hatch Senior/Lead Account Manager Community Blood Services.
"Summer months are difficult for a number of variables, particularly our high schools -- which make up about 18-20 percent of our blood donations -- are not in session," he said. "The population in this area also dips dramatically on weekends due to people going down the shore."
He said the biggest needs are platelets and blood types O+, O-, A-, B- and AB-.
It takes all types of donors and the combined efforts of many people every day to support the lifesaving mission of Community Blood Services.
The biggest reason people don't donate is because they think they can't, Hatch said.
"They are under an impression they can’t donate blood due to a medication they might be taking or if they have traveled outside of the U.S., but those numbers are very small," Hatch said.
The following blood drives are scheduled Wednesday-Sunday,
- July 13-15, Lyndhurst Police Emergency Squad, 297 Delafield Ave. Lyndhurst, 5-9 p.m. Dunkin Donuts gift card to all donors.
- July 15, Farmers Market Teaneck, Garrison Avenue and Beverly Road, 1-5 p.m.
- July 15, Masonic Lodge #263 of Little Falls, 14 Lincoln Ave., Little Falls, 2-8 p.m. Subway Gift Card to all blood donors.
- July 16, Tenafly Ambulance Corps, 100 Riveredge Road, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
- July 17, West Milford Monthly Blood Drive, 619 Ridge Road, 7:45 a.m.- 2 p.m., Renaissance Fair ticket to each blood donor.
- July 19, Arrow Fastener Co., 271 Mayhill St., Saddle Brook, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
- July 20, Firestone Complete AutoCare of Elmwood Park, 280 Broadway, Elmwood Park, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Free oil change to all blood donors.
Community Blood Services has been serving the area’s transfusion medicine needs for more than 60 years.
It provides lifesaving blood and blood products to hospitals in New Jersey and New York, bone marrow registration and donor services, and public and private umbilical cord blood collection and storage. Its New Jersey Cord Blood Bank is the only public cord blood bank for the State of New Jersey.
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