Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today encouraged all eligible New Yorkers to donate blood in order to help increase the local blood supply.  According to the New York Blood Center, this winter blood donations lagged behind patient demand for transfusions.  To accommodate the local area hospitals, nearly 2,000 blood donations are needed daily.  Mayor Bloomberg donated blood through the New York City Employee Blood Program City on March 11th.  The New York City Employee Blood Program aids the City's efforts to provide a safe and adequate blood supply.  City employees are encouraged to participate in the program through their agencies which offer donation sites at the workplace.

"Donating blood is quick and easy to do, and you could be saving a life," said Mayor Bloomberg.  "By giving only minutes of your time, you can help ensure that the New York City area has an adequate blood supply and that our hospitals have the tools they need to save lives."

"We rely on the generosity of volunteer donors to meet the needs of hospital patients and to replenish the community blood supply on a daily basis," said Dr. Robert Jones, President and CEO of New York Blood Center.  "Yet, meeting our community need for blood grows increasingly difficult, and without volunteers our community will simply not have an adequate supply of blood."

All blood donors must be at least age 17, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be in good general health.  The New York Blood Center provides specially trained staff who perform free mini-physicals, check blood pressure, temperature and iron count.  For more information on where you can donate blood dial 311 or visit www.nyc.gov.

The New York Blood Center is one of the nation's largest non-profit, community-based blood centers.  With the support of five regional operations, New York Blood Center has been collecting and providing life-saving blood transfusion products and services since 1964.

Photos of Mayor Bloomberg donating blood can be found at http://www.nyc.gov/photowire.