Spotlight On: New York Blood Center
The importance of blood donation transcends all communities. Here we see why blood is truly thicker than water.

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By Danielle Freni

February 1, 2007

If you had the ability to save someone’s life, would you? The popular response is, “Yes,” but the reality is that most people simply ignore the opportunity. 60% of the American population is eligible to donate blood—a lifesaving act—yet nationwide only 5% actually give. Here in New York, that number is even lower at just 2%.

Each day, NYBC supplies 2,000 lifesaving units of blood and blood products (plasma and platelets) to 200 hospitals throughout the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area.

Donated blood is used every day to save the lives of critically ill patients such as those undergoing chemotherapy, living with blood disorders and victims of traumatic accidents including house fires. NYBC relies on the community to protect its own blood supply but recruiting donors is a continuous challenge—particularly in the black and Hispanic communities.

33% of patients receiving blood transfusions in New York’s hospitals are black, yet less than 10% of New York Blood Center’s donors are black. The disparity is a serious health threat to the black community because in some cases blood must be precisely matched between donor and recipient. That matching goes beyond the ABO +/- typing most commonly used for transfusion purposes. Within particular ethnic groups, there are shared traits that make blood compatible. When a patient suffering from a regular blood disease such as Sickle Cell receives multiple transfusions over many years, that patient’s own blood begins to recognize and reject foreign blood as time goes on.

“At first, a simple match such as A+ will be acceptable,” explains Pascal George, Vice President of Medical Services and Programs and New York Blood Center “But over time, the presence or absences of antigens that make up red blood cells’ identifying markers get ‘smarter.’ They begin to recognize foreign blood and at that point, only very precisely matched blood becomes acceptable.”

New York Blood Center’s PreciseMatch program outreaches to ethnically-diverse communities in an effort to diversify the blood supply. In December, NYBC held simultaneous blood drives in the Bronx, Queens and New Jersey for Luis, a 15-year old Dominican-born New Yorker, who suffers from Sickle Cell Disease and requires regular blood transfusions. Luis’ best hope for an appropriate match is a blood donor of the same ethnic background. To date, a sufficient number of compatible blood donors have not been identified.

Davina Daniels, a Queens mother and Sickle Cell patient, is struggling with the same problem. Because she has received so many blood transfusions she can only continue receiving blood from specific donors. Across the entire New York metropolitan area, NYBC has identified only three eligible donors for Davina. The search for more is ongoing. Members of New York and New Jersey’s African-American/Afro-Caribbean community are Davina’s greatest hope of staying healthy and alive.

On January 9, NYBC declared a critical blood shortage and is currently seeking to recruit blood donors of all blood types and ethnic backgrounds. Eligible blood donors are between 16 and 76 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds, and are in general good health. Many medications and chronic health conditions do not affect blood donation. Prospective donors should review New York Blood Center’s website: NYBloodCenter.org or consult a physician before self-deferring. Blood donors can give whole blood every 56 days.

To find a blood drive in your neighborhood, call 800.933.BLOOD (2566).