Senator Liz Krueger, Assemblywoman Sylviafriedman Kick Off NYU Medical Center's Annual Summer Blood Drive

New York, NY—On Monday, July 10th, State Senator Liz Krueger was joined by Assemblywoman Sylvia Friedman in kicking off the NYU Medical Center's annual summer blood drive. This marked the first year the drive was sponsored by Senator Krueger. The drive continues through July 12th.

"I hope that people will continue to donate blood throughout the summer even if they cannot make it before the end of this particular drive," Krueger stated.

Friedman added, "Many people do not know that blood centers all around the city, in fact, all around the country, face significant decreases in blood donations during the summer months—summer happens to be when the need for blood often increases."

Blood center's throughout the U.S. must cope with a 15% decrease in donations every summer.

There are safety restrictions in place which restrict who can give blood and when. However three in five people are eligible to donate at any given time. Only 5% of people who are eligible to give blood actually donate. Blood donors can safely donate blood every 56 days.

The NYU Medical Center is a major provider of blood to patients. The center supplies more than 45,000 units of blood and blood components every year. The lives of approximately 30,000 people in the New York area rely on this blood alone—nationally, every two seconds someone needs blood.

"There is not a substitute for donated blood. It cannot be harvested or manufactured like we have seen for other medical procedures. This drive is important because any one of us may find ourselves in a situation where we rely on the kindness of a stranger who took a few minutes out of their day to donate," Krueger concluded. "It is never too late to donate."

Anyone interested in donating blood can call the blood center at (212) 263-5440 for more information. The center is open five days a week.