Community Blood Services
By giving blood through Upstate New York Transplant Services you are making sure that your family, friends, neighbors and other members of your community have blood available when they need it. Take the time to donate blood. Make a difference in someone’s life.
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To learn of upcoming community drives click here.
To schedule an appointment to donate blood
call 716.853.6667 ext 7940.
Or complete our online registration form and we will contact you!
Click here to sign up to donate blood or host a drive!
Click here to download and print our full blood brochure
A Letter from the President & CEO
Dear Friends,
The Gift of Life comes in many different ways through many different stories, personalities, lives and backgrounds. For over twenty five years, Upstate New York Transplant Services has been offering the region the opportunity to save and enhance life through organ, tissue and eye donation, and Western New Yorkers have shown great generosity when given the choice. Now it is time to make a natural expansion of service – one to include blood donation.
Current blood process in the region can be bettered, and this organization is committed to continuing to do more for those individuals in need of and waiting for The Gift of Life. Just as The Gift of Life can take the form of an organ, vital tissue, or a cornea – it can also take the form of donated blood, and Upstate New York Transplant Services is the organization with the foundation to offer this service.
In 1997, Upstate New York Transplant Services had just 200 donors; this past year, Upstate New York Transplant Services had nearly 1000 with the second highest number of organ donors in the history of the region and increases of 112 tissue donors and 93 eye donors. In addition, the organization has ranked in the top ten procurement organizations nationally in terms of consent rates per capita for seven of the past eight years.
Our commitment to enhance and save life through organ, tissue and eye donation has resonated and expanded throughout the community and we are poised to extend this same commitment through blood donation. Western New York has the capability to donate blood in higher rates, and when given the opportunity to donate through our organization, we have every confidence that Western New Yorkers will respond.
Western New York knows the importance of spreading The Gift of Life and community blood services is the next step this organization is making in furthering that effort. We hope you will continue to join us.
Best Regards,
Mark J. Simon
President & CEO
Our commitment is to enhance and save lives through organ, tissue and blood donation while maintaining respect for those who give the Gift of Life.
What is a Community Blood Bank?
Community blood banks concentrate on fulfilling the blood needs of a single region. Often as a result of this locally-driven operation, donation rates rise among the area population and costs decrease on the part of area purchasers. Community blood banks are neighbors helping neighbors – and nearly 50% of the US blood supply is a result of these programs.
By donating blood through Upstate New York Transplant Services, you will be helping your family, friends and neighbors – right here in Western New York.
- Donated blood is the only source for those who need it. Despite amazing discoveries and breakthroughs in medical research, there is no substitute for the contents and functions human blood provides.
- Odds are 1 in 3 that you will need blood during your lifetime but only 1 in 33 that you are a regular blood donor.
- We will need over 1,000 donors each and every week just to keep up with everyday normal blood usage in our region.
- We will save the hospitals we supply millions of dollars in related blood costs. This money can be used for patient care, doctors, nurses and all other things hospitals need to provide to the region.
- Donating blood is fast, easy and virtually pain-free. Thousands of people donate numerous times during the year and with less than an hour of their time, thousands of lives are saved and bettered.
- Patients in need of blood throughout Western New York
- Accident victims who have suffered massive blood loss need transfusions of 50 pints or more of red blood cells
- The average bone marrow transplant requires 120 units of platelets and about 20 units of red blood cells
- Severe burn victims can need about 20 units of plasma during their treatment
- Children being treated for cancer, premature infants and children having surgery need blood and platelets from donors of all types
In 2005, Upstate New York Transplant Services was approached by the Western New York Purchasing Alliance under the premise that local hospitals long had been seeking an alternative with regard to blood purchasing. A subsequent feasibility found that a community blood bank operated through Upstate New York Transplant Services was the best alternative.
The transition is natural – Upstate New York Transplant Services has routinely secured higher rates of organ, tissue and eye donation than the national average, and the organization is poised to broaden this success in doing the same with blood. In addition, Upstate New York Transplant Services already has an on-site Histocompatibility lab which will be able to incorporate added testing as a result of blood donations.
Upstate New York Transplant Services Community Blood Services will…
- Keep all donated blood within Western New York – for local patients at local hospitals
- Work diligently to transfer success in organ, tissue and eye donation to blood donation. Currently, Upstate New York Transplant Services is undergoing a three-year campaign to double the number of organ, tissue and eye donors in the region. This effort will partner well with blood donor recruitment.
- Add local jobs throughout Western New York.
- Decrease the cost of blood to area hospitals by as much as 30% yearly by collecting, processing and distributing locally.
Advances in medical knowledge and technology make giving blood safe. Potential donors are thoroughly screened and given a physical examination. This involves completing a health history form and having a member of the collection team check your pulse, blood pressure, temperature and hemoglobin level. Materials used in blood collection are sterile and never re-used.
Blood donations are extensively tested. All testing is regulated by the FDA. Blood that does not pass testing is disposed of in a special biohazard waste container. To further ensure the safety of the blood supply, Upstate New York Transplant Services Community Blood Service will be routinely audited by the Food and Drug Administration. Upstate New York Transplant Services Community Blood Service will operate initially under a FDA permit granted to The Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania.
Through mobile collections throughout Erie, Niagara and Wyoming counties, Upstate New York Transplant Services Community Blood Service is committed to visiting highly visible high traffic areas to make donating blood in Western New York as convenient as possible. Whether it be blood drives at high schools, universities, businesses, community organizations, and hospitals, Upstate New York Transplant Services Community Blood Service will bring the opportunity to you.
56 Facts about Your Blood Donation...
1. More than 4.5 million patients need blood transfusions each year in the U.S. and Canada.
2. 43,000 pints: amount of donated blood used each day in the U.S. and Canada.
3. Someone needs blood every two seconds.
4. 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood – less than 5 percent do annually.
5. About 1 in 7 people entering a hospital need blood.
6. One pint of blood can save up to three lives.
7. Healthy individuals who are at least 17 years old, 16 years with signed parental consent form and at least 110 pounds may donate about a pint of blood – the most common form of donation – every 56 days, or every two months. Females receive 53 percent of blood transfusions; males receive 47 percent.
8. 94 percent of blood donors are registered voters.
9. Four main red blood cell types: A, B, AB and O. Each can be positive or negative for the Rh factor. AB is the universal recipient; O negative is the universal donor of red blood cells.
10. Dr. Karl Landsteiner first identified the major human blood groups – A, B, AB and O – in 1901.
11. One unit of blood can be separated into several components: red blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate.
12. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body's organs and tissues.
13. Red blood cells live about 120 days in the circulatory system.
14. Platelets promote blood clotting and give those with leukemia and other cancers a chance to live.
15. Plasma is a pale yellow mixture of water, proteins and salts.
16. Plasma, which is 90 percent water, makes up 55 percent of blood volume.
17. Healthy bone marrow makes a constant supply of red cells, plasma and platelets.
18. Blood or plasma that comes from people who have been paid for it cannot be used to human transfusion.
19. Granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, roll along blood vessel walls in search of bacteria to engulf and destroy.
20. White cells are the body's primary defense against infection.
21. Apheresis is a special kind of blood donation that allows a donor to give specific blood components, such as platelets.
22. Forty-two days: how long most donated red blood cells can be stored.
23. Five days: how long most donated platelets can be stored.
24. One year: how long frozen plasma can be stored.
25. Much of today's medical care depends on a steady supply of blood from healthy donors.
26. 2.7 pints: the average whole blood and red blood cell transfusion.
27. Children being treated for cancer, premature infants and children having heart surgery need blood and platelets from donors of all types, especially type O.
28. Anemic patients need blood transfusions to increase their red blood cell levels.
29. Cancer, transplant and trauma patients, and patients undergoing open-heart surgery may require platelet transfusions to survive.
30. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease that affects more than 80,000 people in the United States, 98 percent of whom are of African descent.
31. Many patients with severe sickle cell disease receive blood transfusions every month.
32. A patient could be forced to pass up a lifesaving organ, if compatible blood is not available to support the transplant.
33. Thirteen tests (11 for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of donated blood.
34. 17 percent of non-donors cite "never thought about it" as the main reason for not giving, while 15 percent say they're too busy.
35. The #1 reason blood donors say they give is because they "want to help others."
36. Shortages of all blood types happen during the summer and winter holidays.
37. Blood centers often run short of types O and B red blood cells.
38. The rarest blood type is the one not on the shelf when it's needed by a patient.
39. There is no substitute for human blood.
40. If all blood donors gave three times a year, blood shortages would be a rare event (The current average is about two.).
41. If only one more percent of all Americans would give blood, blood shortages would disappear for the foreseeable future.
42. 46.5 gallons: amount of blood you could donate if you begin at age 17 and donate every 56 days until you reach 79 years old.
43. Four easy steps to donate blood: medical history, quick physical, donation and snacks.
44. The actual blood donation usually takes about 10 minutes. The entire process – from the time you sign in to the time you leave – takes less than an hour.
45. After donating blood, you replace the fluid in hours and the red blood cells within four weeks. It takes eight weeks to restore the iron lost after donating.
46. You cannot get AIDS or any other infectious disease by donating blood.
47. 10 pints: amount of blood in the body of an average adult.
48. One unit of whole blood is roughly the equivalent of one pint.
49. Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body's weight.
50. A newborn baby has about one cup of blood in his body.
51. Giving blood will not decrease your strength.
52. Any company, community organization, place of worship or individual may contact their local community blood center to host a blood drive.
53. Blood drives hosted by companies, schools, places of worship and civic organizations supply roughly half of all blood donations across the U.S.
54. People who donate blood are volunteers and are not paid for their donation.
55. 500,000: the number of Americans who donated blood in the days following the September 11 attacks.
56. Blood donation. It's about an hour of your time. It's About Life.
Blood Services Frequently Asked Questions...
How long does it take to give blood?
The process for whole blood donation usually takes less than an hour. The blood collection itself is usually about 10 minutes. The donation process includes registration, a brief medical screening, blood collection and refreshments.
How much blood is taken?
Whole blood donations are about 1 pint. One pint is roughly equal to 1 pound.
How often can I give?
You are able to donate whole blood every 56 days.
What are platelets?
Platelets are tiny cell fragments that circulate throughout the blood and aid in blood clotting. Platelets are also known as thrombocytes.
How much blood do I have in my body?
Women have about 10 pints, and men about 12 pints of blood in their bodies.
Are there age limits for blood donors?
Seventeen years old is the minimum blood donor age. (In New York, 16-year-olds may donate with parental consent.) There is no upper age limit.
What are some other reasons for deferral?
Anemia (low hematocrit)
Blood Pressure (high or low)
Body Piercing
Cold or Flu
Hepatitis
HIV/AIDS
Infection
Organ/Tissue Transplants
Pregnancy
Sexually Transmitted Disease
International Travel
I'm taking medications. Can I still donate blood?
Many medications are acceptable. Consult your physician or ask your community blood center medical staff if you have questions about your eligibility to donate.
What if I have a tattoo or body piercing?
U.S. health advisers voted to continue a policy that requires people who have been pierced or tattooed to put off donating blood for a year after the procedure, but said those who have received acupuncture can safely give blood.
Will recent vaccinations make me ineligible to donate blood?
Recent vaccinations (live vaccines) may prevent you from donating blood. You may be deferred for up to one month if you have recently received measles, mumps or rubella vaccinations. If that is the case, contact your blood center and schedule an appointment for next month! The flu vaccine contains dead viruses and is not cause for deferral.
Is it safe to give blood?
Yes. Donating blood is 100 percent safe. You cannot get HIV or any other infectious disease from donating blood.
Is it safe to receive blood?
Yes. The blood supply is the safest it's ever been, especially since the implementation of nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) under an FDA-sponsored research protocol. NAT is a more sensitive gene-based test to screen the blood supply for HIV and hepatitis C. Thirteen tests (11 for infectious diseases) are performed on each unit of donated blood.
General safety procedures are also in place: blood donor eligibility standards, individual screening, laboratory testing, confidential exclusion of donations and donor record checks.
What is the universal blood type?
Type O negative is the universal donor and can give blood to any other blood type. Eight percent of the U.S. population has blood type O negative.
AB positive is the universal recipient and can receive blood from any other blood type. Two and a half percent of the U.S. population has blood type AB positive.
How long until my blood is used?
All blood donations are processed and available for use between 24 and 48 hours. Whole blood is processed into components (red cells, platelets, plasma). After processing, the red cells can be stored for 42 days. Plasma can be frozen and stored for up to 12 months. Platelets (from whole blood or by apheresis) expire after five days.
Are the health history questions necessary every time?
Yes. Screening questions must be asked of all donors at each donation. This is an FDA requirement that helps blood centers ensure the safest possible blood supply.
Is Upstate New York Transplant Services Community Blood Service affiliated with the American Red Cross?
No, Upstate New York Transplant Services Community Blood Service is a locally-based community-based blood bank. Over 50% of the entire national blood need is supplied through community blood banks.
Two years ago, Upstate New York Transplant Services was approached by representatives of areas hospitals under the premise of bettering in both practice and price the regional blood program. In keeping the operation community-based, Upstate New York Transplant Services will save area hospitals as much as 30% per unit of blood. Outside of personnel, transfusion costs are among the highest regional hospitals face. In addition, the Community Blood Service is ensuring that local donations are going to local patients in need.
Click here to sign up to donate blood or host a drive!
Click here to download and print our full blood brochure