Saving Lives One Pint of Blood at a Time
On January 18, 2017, Einstein partnered with the New York Blood Center to hold a blood drive, as they have done twice a year since 1997. On average, Einstein blood donors give 60 to70 pints of blood each year. Over the past 20 years, these donations have helped 7,500 individuals, according to Tina Rivera, account manager for the center.
Donors Danielle Tyler and Brian Hsai
Of all the blood components that are used for transfusions, red blood cells are in the highest demand. To help meet this demand, 10 of the 65 Einstein donors met the height, weight and higher hemoglobin level required to use the Alyx Machine, a system that collects twice as many red blood cells from each donor, doubling their individual impact.
Ms. Rivera stressed the importance of blood donations, especially during winter, when each donation becomes all the more vital to replenish shrinking inventory levels. “The winter months are usually the hardest since people tend to get sick, and snowstorms can lead to drives being canceled,” she said.
ALYX machines extract more red blood cells from donors, doubling the effectiveness of their donationThe summer months also can pose challenges, though, with outbreaks of Zika virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen, on the rise since 2015. “Due to Zika’s latent period in the blood, most infected people who come in to donate don’t even realize they have the virus,” noted Ms. Rivera. “The FDA has approved an investigational test to screen blood donations for the virus, which allows us to send blood donations to the laboratory and determine whether the virus is present.”
Several Einstein blood donors made it clear that they had the desire to give back to the community and contribute their part in saving lives. For Brian Hsia, a first-year medical student, donating blood is an easy way to do community service. He said, “This is my first time donating in New York, and I will definitely be donating again.”
For Leslie Malave-Duche, a staff member in the graduate office, the call to donate hits closer to home: “I have family members who have required blood transfusions, so I definitely recognize the need for it and have been donating for years.”
Danielle Tyler, who has worked at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center for the past six years, makes it a family affair, explaining, “My boyfriend and I try to donate blood together as often as possible. It’s important for saving lives.”
This blood drive saw a high turnout, with 65 pints of whole blood collected, which translates to 85 lifesaving units.
“We are always looking for ways to support our Einstein community members in their efforts to give and take part in important community initiatives,” said Robert Cancellieri, director of employee relations, who was among the blood donors. “Our 20-year partnership with the NY Blood Center represents a longstanding tradition that many people at Einstein look forward to each year.”
Posted on: Thursday, March 09, 2017