(New Brunswick, NJ) – Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Blood Services is making an urgent appeal for blood and platelet donations as it responds to a serious blood shortage.
During the summer months, blood donor participation historically drops. Schools and colleges are closed, people are away on vacation and the recent surge of people affected by the Omicron B.5 variant have all impacted donor participation at the RWJUH Blood Donor Center and at blood drives.
“The postponement and cancellation of blood drives since the onset of the pandemic has been a constant challenge for us and many blood donor centers in our region,” notes Sally Wells, Business Development and Community Liaison for RWJUH’s Blood Donor Center. “Like most blood collection centers, we are still catching up from shortages resulting from pandemic-related cancellations and postponements of many blood drives during the past two years. Access to blood for transfusion is critical to hospitals’ ability to treat urgent and planned surgical procedures and chronic illnesses. These factors, combined with schools and universities being out on summer break and many individuals on vacation, have contributed to the significant shortages we are experiencing.”
RWJUH Blood Services urges everyone to donate blood or other blood products such as platelets in our Donor Center located in Clinical Academic Building, Suite 4200, 125 Paterson Street, New Brunswick or at a blood drive in your community. All blood donors that participate through September 15 at our Donor Center will receive a $10 Wawa gift card. Platelet donors will receive $20 Wawa gift card. All blood types are needed, but Type O blood is particularly in short supply at the present time.
Please call 732-235-8100, ext. 221, ext. 222, or ext. 248 or go online to www.rwjuhdonorclub.org to schedule an appointment to donate. If your organization would like to host a blood drive, please contact Sally Wells at 732-558-4983 or sally.wells@rwjbh.org.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion every two seconds. This means 4.5 million Americans need a blood transfusion annually — and meeting the demand now has been even more challenging. Blood donations are lifelines to patients who need blood for reasons unrelated to COVID-19, including cancer patients who need blood transfusions, car accident victims, and patients in emergencies.
RWJUH Blood Services has rigorous safety protocols in place to protect all donors. These include temperature checks, required face coverings, and socially distanced seating in waiting areas and donation spaces at the blood drive. Strict sanitary protocols are in place, including disinfection of donor areas after each use. Everyone at the donation site must wear face masks.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 614-bed academic medical center that serves as the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, orthopedics, bariatric surgery and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). A Level 1 Trauma Center and the first designated Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.
RWJUH has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Recognition for Nursing Excellence and being named to Newsweek’s 2022 list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals. The RWJUH Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center has been recognized by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association as meeting The Joint Commission's standards for Disease-Specific Care Comprehensive Stroke Center Advanced Certification. RWJUH has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Disease-Specific Care Certification for Spine Surgery; The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Bariatric Services; and The Joint Commission Gold Seal Certification for Hip and Knee Replacement services. The Joint Commission also awarded RWJUH a Gold Seal Certification as well as an Advanced Certification in Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Implantation.
For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick.