Reasons All Eligible New Yorkers Should Donate Blood This Month

Have you ever donated blood? If you have, thank you, seriously I mean it. There are a bunch of statistics that I can give you about how many people you can help by simply donating blood about every two months.

Since the pandemic, the biggest thing that needs to get passed on is that the blood banks nationwide are having to cope with blood supplies that will last only a few days, not enough to anticipate covering emergencies in the next few weeks.

What do you need to do to donate blood?

The first thing to do is make sure you are eligible to donate. Are you over the age of 18, 16 with parental permission. You will also need to weigh at least 110-pounds. This is the minimum requirements for whole blood donations. If you want to be a "Power Red" donor, there additional requirements for age, and weight. 

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READ MORE: 5 Things it Takes Longer to do Than Donate Blood

The second thing to do is to find a blood donation center or a blood drive in your area and make an appointment. A few years ago, most centers and blood drives could happily accommodate walk-ins. Yes, there is a chance you might not be able to donate without an appointment but keep trying. Your donation is needed.

How can you find a blood drive or a blood donation center?

Depending on where you live there are many options:

• RedCrossBlood.Org
• NewYorkBloodCenter.org

Both of the websites listed above can help get you into contact with either a blood donation center or a blood drive that is located near you.

After you make your appointment, get ready for the donation to take about 1 hour 15 minutes to an hour and a half. This allows not only for the actual donation time, but for your intake paperwork and your post donation cookies and juice.

Thank you again for considering donating blood. There is a never a bad time to donate, and your donation is always needed and appreciated.