Harckham Sponsors Successful Blood Drive in Millwood

Millwood, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham partnered with New York Blood Center (NYBC) this weekend and sponsored a successful blood drive at the Millwood Fire Company Station here, with donors supplying 53 units of the precious lifesaving fluid.

“This blood drive is a great example of how community members help each other in need, and I want to thank our generous donors, NYBC and Millwood Fire Company officials for their generosity and support,” said Harckham. “Someone needs blood every two seconds, and the donated blood can help not only accident victims, but also those undergoing cancer treatment, certain surgeries and treatment for certain blood disorders.”

According to NYBC, the amount of blood collected at the drive hosted by Harckham will save up to 235 lives.

For Harckham, this was the fourth blood drive he has hosted, and the first one this year. In May 2021, Harckham and NYBC collected more than three dozen units of blood in Sleepy Hollow. The blood drive in Millwood was notable in the fact that more than a dozen donors were walk-ins.

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

Healthy adults who are at least 17 years old and weigh more than 110 pounds can donate blood. People need to wait 56 days, or two months, between blood donations.

One unit of blood can be separated into several components, including red blood cells, platelets and plasma. The red blood cells are key to respiration, while platelets promote blood clotting and support cancer treatments. Blood shortages regularly occur during the summer and winter holidays.