Donate Life Club Hosts Blood Drive with Highest Turnout in Four Years
The donated blood will go to local hospitals in need amid a blood shortage in New York.
New York Medical College’s (NYMC) Donate Life Club saw an impressive turnout at the first blood drive of the academic year on October 14, with the highest amount of donations since 2017. Dozens of students filed into the Willner Atrium Lobby in the Medical Education Center to donate blood, doubling the total of the last drive during a time of great need.
“The drive collected a total of 66 blood donations which, once divided into the three components of red cells, blood platelets and plasma, will reach 198 patients in area hospitals,” said Madison Weiss, School of Medicine (SOM) Class of 2024, co-president of the Donate Life Club. The drive was done in partnership with the New York Blood Center, which declared a blood shortage in August after COVID-19 surges stifled donation efforts.
“It was amazing to see the NYMC community turn out in record numbers to donate blood. These donations will directly touch the lives of patients in our area and are more important than ever with the emergency blood shortage in New York,” Ms. Weiss said.
The previous high record for a single drive was 55 donations in September 2017 and the total at the end of the year was 185 donations collected during four drives. The 2020-2021 academic year’s donation total was 81, as fewer students were available to participate due to COVID-19 concerns. However, the group hopes that the number of donations continue to rise as the student body returns to campus.
Students arrived throughout the day for their allotted appointments which were near capacity. “Being able to provide something you have excess of to help others is really great. The message I get the next day that my blood was used is rewarding,” said Peter Sheu, Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences (GSBMS) Class of 2023.
The club also facilitated bone marrow donations through the Be the Match organization, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program. “It’s super important. It takes two minutes for to be tested to be a donor and it saves people’s lives,” said Gavriel Berman, SOM Class of 2024.
The next blood drive is scheduled for December 13.
Photo: Sarah Solomon, SOM Class of 2022 and co-president of Donate Life Club.