New York Blood Center

New York Blood Center

Hon. Eric Adams
New York StateSenate
572 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn , NY11225

July 12, 2007

Dear Senator Adams:

We need your immediate help. New York Blood Center is working with the community to try to prevent a summer blood shortage in New York City. Vacations, holidays and heat each year combine to leave the blood supply critically low during July and August.

Each day, New York Blood Center needs close to 2,000 people a day to roll up their sleeves to ensure an adequate community blood supply. The week of the Fourth of July, just passed, and the weeks before and after Labor Day are especially problematic as times when people are away on holiday and blood collections is low.

We need your help motivating your constituents to step up to help avoid a potentially life-threatening problem for their fellow New Yorkers and, sometimes, even their own family members, by donating blood now.

We urge you to:

· run blood drives throughout the summer and ask others to do the same from right now through after Labor Day;

· take every opportunity to talk about the need for blood;

· mention the need for blood at every large gathering;

· post a message on your website asking people to donate blood with 1-800-933-BLOOD and a link to our web scheduler https://drm.nybloodcenter.org/publicscheduler/Welcome.aspx ;

· donate blood.

Please, let us know if you can help and share any ideas you may have about other things you and New YorkBloodCentercan do to help.

The External Affairs Department at New York Blood Center is ready to help in any way possible. Please e-mail bstout-davie@nybloodcenter.org or call 212-570-3225.

Thank you for your help in this literally lifesaving endeavor.

Sincerely,

Robert L. Jones, MD
President and CEO