Blood shortage at NY-area supplier

By KIRAN SURY

Supplies have fallen to a critical level at the New York Blood Center.

Officials say there is less than a one-day supply of O-negative blood, an antigen-free blood type that is particularly valued because it can be administered to anyone in an emergency. A- and B-negative stocks are also low.

Blood Center spokesman Jim Fox attributed the shortage to the recent holidays, which mean fewer people are available to donate blood. “On top of that a lot of schools started later than usual this year and schools account for about 25 percent of the blood supply,” he said in a telephone interview. “It meant that we have fewer donors in the door but not necessarily any fewer hospital patients who needed blood. So we had a crunch.”

Established in 1964, the non-profit organization supplies blood, platelets and other plasma products to approximately 200 hospitals daily in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Blood lasts for less than two months, so the center has to constantly renew its supply.

“When we have a seven- to nine-day supply we’re really happy,” Fox said. “When we have a three-day supply we’re worried. And when we have a one-day supply we’re very worried.”

Brooklyn hospitals have different ways of dealing with blood shortages. Some, such as Methodist Hospital and the Brooklyn Hospital Center, rely on national networks and are not affected by regional problems. Others have backup plans. Coney Island Hospital, a New York Blood Center affiliate, uses Metro Blood Services to maintain patient care, said Associate Executive Director of Public Affairs Robert Cooper.

Though the New York Blood Center regularly experiences shortages, Fox said the problem was seasonal rather than chronic. “We have a system that requires 2,000 donors a day to show up and during holidays, especially when three holidays hit at the same time, we don’t have 2,000 people,” he said. “That’s when we go out and ask for extra help.”

To find a location to donate blood, visit the New York Blood Center website. To hear Fox describe the process after blood is donated, click below.

Photo: A New York Blood Center truck is parked outside Brooklyn’s Midwood High School after a blood drive (Kiran Sury photo).