The 8th Annual Tackle Sickle Cell Blood Drive attracted 200 donors. A total of 189 units of blood were collected and 56 units of fresh frozen plasma were manufactured resulting in 223 lives saved. Shown from left to right at the blood drive are: Armaan Saxena, Executive Director of the Embrace Kids Foundation; Jonathan Bodnar, Director of Laboratory Services at RWJUH; Sally Wells, Business Development Liaison for RWJUH Blood Services; Edward House, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at RWJUH and Matt Grazioli, Family Liaison for the Embrace Kids Foundation.
(New Brunswick, NJ) - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) partnered with the Embrace Kids Foundation and Tackle Sickle Cell to host a massive community blood drive to fight current blood supply shortages. The 8th Annual Tackle Sickle Cell Blood Drive attracted 200 donors. A total of 189 units of blood were collected and 56 units of fresh frozen plasma were manufactured resulting in 223 lives saved.
“We would like to thank Embrace Kids, Tackle Sickle Cell and everyone who came out to support this year’s Tackle Sickle Cell event,” said Sally Wells, Business Development Liaison for RWJUH Blood Services. “We are thrilled with the turnout and pleased that we will be able to save hundreds of lives through these selfless donations.
” Embrace Kids Executive Director Armaan Saxena added, “We are proud of how the Embrace Kids/Tackle Sickle Cell Community rallied to address the blood supply shortage. The results speak for themselves and will have a tremendous impact on the hospital and countless patients’ lives.”
The ongoing pandemic severely impacted blood donations due to many community blood drives being cancelled or postponed, including the 2021 Tackle Sickle Cell Blood Drive. This led to low blood supplies at hospitals and other health care facilities, affecting many patients, including those battling sickle cell disease.
One in 500 African Americans and 1 in 1,400 Latinos are born with Sickle Cell Disease. It also affects people of Caribbean, Middle Eastern, Indian, and Mediterranean descent. Former Rutgers football stars and current NFL players Devin and Jason McCourty invite you to support their Tackle Sickle Cell Campaign by donating blood, increasing awareness, and raising funds. Individuals who were not able to make it to this blood drive can schedule individual appointments at RWJUH’s Blood Donor Center. Visit www.rwjuhdonorclub.org to schedule an appointment.
About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), an RWJBarnabas Health Facility, is a 600-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 been named among the best places to work in health care by Modern Healthcare magazine and received the Equity Care of Award as Top Hospital for Healthcare Diversity and Inclusion from the American Hospital Association. RWJUH Brunswick has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence and “Most Wired” designation by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH among the nation’s best comprehensive cancer centers. For more Information visit us online at www.rwjbh.org/newbrunswick