St. Joseph’s has shown that through the pandemic, continuing a practice as important as giving to others remains at the forefront. The perfect example is the College’s blood drive scheduled for Wednesday, March 24, at SJC Long Island.
With the New York Blood Center facing a shortage due to COVID-19, the need for blood donations has heightened significantly, said Bryan Gill, executive director of Student Involvement, Leadership and Intercultural Engagement.
“Giving back to the people. Whatever the reason may be, maybe you have had someone you know personally who needed blood. You want to help people the way you have been helped,” he said. “It has been noted that it is perfectly safe to donate … and it’s still important to give back.”
SJC Long Island was unable to host a blood drive last spring, during the first wave of the coronavirus. The campus’ fall blood drive collected 62 donations, helping to save about 300 lives, Gill said.
“The way the blood drives were originally set up, they were socially distanced, so it made sense to continue,” Gill said. “The fall blood drive was approved because the protocols were already there.”
Wednesday’s blood drive will be held in O’Connor Hall’s McGann Conference Center from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Appointments are preferred. Call 1(800)-933-2566 to schedule an appointment or click here to schedule an appointment online.
Walk-ins are accepted, depending on whether the event is at capacity. Donors must wear a breathing mask and will have their temperature taken.
Gill said he’s hoping for a turnout similar to the fall blood drive.
“One thing we really stressed is that people sign up in advance so that there are no long lines created, with people having to wait at the same time,” Gill said.
Donors will have their temperature checked twice — once upon entering O’Connor Hall, and again at the door of the McGann Conference Center.
“You register, have your temperature checked, and then the blood center has you fill out a medical questionnaire, and then you donate,” Gill said. “The whole process takes about a half-hour.”
SJC’s resilience in hosting blood drives has inspired other institutions, Gill said.
“Other institutions have looked at us as a leader,” he said. “They’re saying, ‘What is St. Joe’s doing that we should be doing?’ And the blood center thanked us for holding the blood drive when other places were not.”
