Harckham Sponsors Successful Blood Drive in Carmel

Carmel, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham partnered with New York Blood Center (NYBC) on April 3 and sponsored a successful blood drive at Drew United Methodist Church in Carmel, with donors taking all of the allotted appointment spaces—actually maxing them out—and supplying 50 units of the precious lifesaving fluid.

“Thanks to this community’s generosity and the good work of our partners, a number of lives will be saved with the blood donated in Carmel,” said Harckham. “Because there is a constant need for blood and supplies can get alarmingly low at times, it’s important that we continue to host blood drives and help out.”

Last month, NYBC announced a “blood emergency” because of ongoing problems with the pandemic and a report that the region’s blood supply was dangerously low.

For Harckham, this was the second blood drive he has hosted this year. In January, Harckham and NYBC collected 35 units of blood in Peekskill.

The Carmel blood drive had more than 50 people sign up to donate, and several others walked in with the hope of donating. NYBC estimates that three lives are saved with each donation.

“The response in Carmel was very strong—all of our appointment slots were filled,” said Joanna Scaduto, an account manager at NYBC. “This kind of community support will help lift New York out of its blood emergency. Truth is, we need this response level every day to avoid another blood emergency though. I am grateful for the donors who stepped up, and also thank Senator Harckham and Drew United Methodist Church for partnering with us.”

At the blood drive, donors were required to wear a mask or face covering, and all had their temperature taken during onsite registration. If donors were recovering from Covid-19, they needed to be symptom free for a minimum of 14 days. Individuals could not donate if they were still recovering from Covid-19 or in the midst of self-quarantine restrictions.

“Recognizing the critical need for blood, especially during the pandemic, Drew Church happily opened its doors for this community service, and a number of members themselves donated,” said Reverend Martha E. Vink, rector of both Drew Methodist Church in Carmel and First United Methodist Church in Brewster. “I am delighted to know that 150 lives have been helped by the 50 donations of blood, and look forward to continuing to work with Senator Harckham in ways which benefit our communities.”