The New York Blood Center continues to struggle with low blood inventory.
On July 18 of this year, the center declared a shortage of Type O blood, the most common type, “current inventory is at its lowest since COVID-19 shutdown”.
According to the center, the average citizen is willing to donate blood if a center is stationed only ten minutes or ten miles away from them. In recognition of this, the New York Blood Center has created a solution: state-of-the-art Blood Donation Pods.
With only 19 donor centers in the region, these Pods will provide flexible access to blood donation.
“Our goal is to make blood donation as comfortable and convenient as possible, and we believe these Pods will help us attract new blood donors and ultimately save more lives,” said Andrea Cefarelli, senior vice president at New York Blood Center.
The Pods are equipped to make the experience as comfortable and safe as possible, so that donors have the ability to donate whole blood, double red cells, or platelets, all much needed.
The first official Pods can be found at the Resorts World New York in their Queens and Hudson Valley casinos.
“By hosting the Blood Donation Pods, we are helping to bring this essential service directly to our communities, ensuring that life saving donations are always within reach to protect our public health priorities,” said Michelle Stoddart, senior vice president of community development.
The center continues to seek partnerships with organizations to host a Pod in the tri-state area.
According to the center, the goal is that “cities, towns, and organizations can host a Pod in their communities from a few days to multiple weeks, providing flexible access to blood donation.”
To make an appointment at the upcoming Resorts World New York pod locations, or to learn more about hosting a Pod with your organization, visit nybc.org/pod.
