HoehmTown Happenings

Give Blood on January 9th

The onset of a new year presents a natural opportunity for us to reassess our lives and set out to make positive changes. The practice of making “New Year’s Resolutions” aimed at improving ourselves and our lives dates all the way back to ancient Babylonia. Today, polling shows that 40% of Americans make a New Year’s Resolution each year. Many of us will be making personal commitments to eat healthier, exercise more, or spend more time with our families. These are all commendable endeavors, but we should also consider making one simple promise that will greatly impact someone truly in need: a resolution to donate blood at least once in 2026. 

My office has teamed up with the New York Blood Center to host a local blood drive at Town Hall Friday, January 9th, from 10am – 4pm.  If you are able, I ask you to please take a few minutes of your time to help save lives through blood donation. The drive will be held in Town Hall, 10 Maple Avenue, New City on the 3rd floor.  Donors are encouraged to sign-up for a time to donate by going online to www.nybc.org or calling the Supervisor’s office at (845) 639-2050. Walk-ins are welcome too. Those with O-negative blood type, or “universal donors,” are especially encouraged to attend, as their blood can be transfused into anyone in a trauma situation.

Donating blood is a selfless act of charity and the most time efficient way to make a tremendous impact for the lives of others. In fact, one blood donation has a multiplier effect of saving more than just one life, because your blood can be separated into individual components. The entire process takes less than an hour. Produced in the bone marrow, blood is typically collected as “whole blood” and then separated into its unique components: platelets, red cells, and plasma. Each can deliver a lifesaving benefit to someone in need.

There is no substitute for blood. Even with all the remarkable technology we have in modern medicine, blood components cannot be synthetically made and can only come from volunteer donors. It’s the blood on the shelves today that saves lives, which is why donors are needed to give regularly. Nearly 2,000 donations are needed each day in New York and New Jersey alone. About one in seven hospital admissions requires a blood transfusion. With a limited shelf life, supplies must be continually replenished, and our highly populated area creates a high demand for blood. Those in need include cancer patients, accident, burn or trauma victims, newborn babies, mothers delivering babies, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia, and many more.

New York Blood Center (NYBC) is one of the largest independent, community-based blood centers in the country. Each year, NYBC provides approximately one million blood products to nearly 200 hospitals in the Northeast. NYBC also provides a wide array of transfusion-related medical services. NYBC is also home to the world’s largest public cord blood bank, which provides stem cells for transplant in many countries, and a renowned research institute, which – among other milestones — developed the Hepatitis B vaccine and innovative blood purification technology. None of this is possible without donations.

I encourage everyone to make a “New Year’s Resolution” this year to donate blood. Your contribution will help make a difference in our community.  Please consider joining me in donating on January 9th. You, and someone in need, will be glad you did.