Flu Season Causes Blood Shortage; Donate Saturday at Deutscher Club

This release was submitted by the Blood Center of North Jersey.

Help donate at the Deutscher Club on Saturday, March 16 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. All donors will receive a $10 Shop Rite Gift card and a Continental breakfast or light German lunch. The Deutscher Club is sponsoring the blood drive and they are located at 787 Featherbed Lane in Clark.

This winter has been the most severe cold and flu season in recent memory. Emergency rooms were overcrowd, schools closed and companies requested employees with cold or flu symptoms to stay home until their symptoms were gone. Many schools and companies that scheduled blood drives were forced to cancel because of this cold and flu season. Now, our area hospitals are experiencing a severe shortage, and we need your help.

New Jersey faces continuing shortages of blood donations and must import up to 30% of their blood supply regularly, from other states. This cold and flu season with many cancelled blood drives and many regular donors themselves suffering symptoms has also contributed to the blood supply short fall. Donations are needed every day to meet the needs of our New Jersey hospitals for patients who require life saving transfusions.

Blood center officials note that each unit of blood donated is broken down into several components including platelets, plasma, and red cells so one donation can save up to three lives.

The donation process is safe and simple. Donors are first asked medical history questions and given a mini-health check, including pulse, blood pressure, and iron level. The actual donation of blood takes just 5 to 7 minutes. The entire process generally takes under one hour. Donors will receive a free cholesterol screening directly from the Blood Center of New Jersey.

The ALYX system of collection will be available at this blood drive. The Blood Center of New Jersey will utilize state-of-the art automated blood collection system. This will allow you to donate two units of red cells in just one visit!

Donors can be as young as 16 years old with parental permission, weight 120 pounds and be in general good health. There is no upper age limit for donors provided they meet health requirements. Donors should bring a signed or picture form of identification. People with a fever or sore throat should wait until they are feeling better before donating, and there is a 24-hour deferral for teeth cleanings and fillings.

For more information or to sign up for this blood drive, call the blood center at 1-800-652-5663, ext. 155.