The New York Islanders and the New York Blood Center are partnering to hold their annual blood drive together on Monday, Jan. 6, from 1:30-6 p.m., at UBS Arena, located at 2400 Hempstead Tpke. in Elmont.
Islanders fans and employees, as well as generous members of the Long Island and New York City communities, are invited to give back through this effort. Those who stop by the venue and donate blood will receive a voucher redeemable for two tickets to a select Islanders home game in 2025.
The Islanders have been partnering with the New York Blood Center to hold blood drives since 2000. Over the course of this partnership, more than 2,600 donations have been collected.
January marks National Blood Donor Month. Between school breaks, holiday travel, seasonal illnesses and inclement weather, this is a time of year in which blood donations drop, making it difficult for the blood supply. In the last several weeks alone, the New York Blood Center has seen a 40% decrease in blood donations, resulting in over 3,000 fewer donations. An event like this is meant to help ensure the blood supply levels in the New York region remains on track during the winter.
Donating should not take much more than an hour. Just one donation can end up saving multiple lives. According to the New York Blood Center, roughly one in seven people admitted to the hospital require a blood transfusion. These people may include cancer patients, accident, burn or trauma victims, newborn babies and/or their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia and many others.
Blood donors are allowed to give every 56 days, while platelet donors can donate twice a month. Several blood donor eligibility restrictions have recently been lifted by the Food and Drug Administration. To view and learn more about current eligibility guidelines, visit nybc.org or call 1-800-688-0900.
Those interested in making an appointment to donate blood or platelets can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit nybc.org. Even people who are unable to donate blood can still make a lifesaving impact by supporting the mission of the New York Blood Center through financial contributions or volunteering their time. Those interested in making such contributions can click here to learn more.