NYMC Shows Support for the Missing Type Campaign
NYMC Participates in The Missing Type Campaign 2016
New York Medical College (NYMC) today announced that it will participate in the international Missing Type Campaign 2016, a global initiative which seeks to reverse the decline in blood donation. This year, 21 countries are involved, representing more than one billion of the world’s population. The campaign is based on the help of high profile organizations, brands, celebrities and influencers, who by removing the letters A, O, and B from their signage, signatures, postings, and publications are raising awareness for the blood shortage. Since the letters represent the most major blood types, the removal of them shows that their supply is at risk of being depleted without an adequate amount of new donors added annually.
This shortage is especially problematic in NYMC’s home state of New York, where there is currently an emergency level of blood shortage. The New York Blood Center alone requires more than 2,000 volunteer blood donations each day to meet the transfusion needs of the patients in close to 200 New York and New Jersey hospitals. Without these donors, the entire Greater New York area faces chronic blood shortage.
“Many people go through their daily lives unaware of how vital blood donation is,” said Edward Halperin, CEO of New York Medical College. “Every three seconds, someone in this country needs a lifesaving blood transfusion, and without donors of these major blood types we face a severely debilitating medical crisis. I encourage all to help in any way possible—whether by signing up to donate blood or by spreading the word and removing A, O and B from your signatures and public posts throughout the campaign.”
Members of the larger NYMC community posed for a picture in front of the college sign which had the A, O, and B’s missing throughout it, and are also participating by removing the letters from the college’s twitter handle, social media posts, and many email signatures. The NYMC Blood Drive will be held on Tuesday, September 6th from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm in the Basic Sciences Building.