Helping Out In a Pinch

The New York Blood Center held a blood drive at on Wednesday afternoon from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Parked outside in a large air-conditioned RV bus, donors got away from the scorching heat and donated a pint of blood each.

Supervised by Janette Bayne, Team Leader for the New York Blood Center, her team of donor specialists helped donors through the hour long process of donating blood.  Divided into steps, each donor must fill out an updated registration form, and is recommended to drink 16 oz. of water before donating.  Medical history is then reviewed, along with temperature, pulse and blood pressure.  A finger stick blood test is also done to analyze hemoglobin content (protein in your blood).

The donation process itself takes fifteen minuets, and donation specialists are on hand to assist.

"There is a large crowd that comes to Sunken Meadow, so we're hoping to get as many people as we can," said Bayne.  

With only four stations and limited room to move around on the bus, Bayne and her staff kept things moving efficiently to ensure the safety of the donors.  She was also active with NYBC at the in Massapequa back in January.

According to the NYBC, all blood donated is processed and delivered to area hospitals, where patients in need of donations will greatly benefit.

The New York Blood Center is in the process of its Summer Tour with 95.5 WPLJ.  All donations last from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.  The schedule for remaining drives are below:

To schedule your next donation, call 1-800-933-2566, or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.