In New Jersey just 3.6 percent of eligible donors give blood — national average is 5 percent Watch video
NEW BRUNSWICK — Erin Roff hates needles. Yet the 20-year-old Rutgers University student willingly rolled up her sleeve during a blood drive Thursday in New Brunswick that helped kick off a statewide campaign to recruit donors.
"So many people need it. It is such a necessity,’’ said Roff, a Hazlet native who organized blood drives in high school. "One bag of blood can save up to three people’s lives."
There are too few people like Roff in New Jersey, where just 3.6 percent of those eligible to donate blood do so, compared to the national average of 5 percent, according to state health officials and physicians gathered for yesterday’s blood drive at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
As a result, they said, the state has been unable to meet its demand for blood in each of the past 15 years. To make up the difference, other states have sold some of their surplus supplies to New Jersey.
In 2009, for example, New Jersey used 330,000 pints of blood, but needed to purchase another 40,000 to fill its demand, said Health and Senior Services Commissioner Poonam Alaigh.
"Sixty percent of New Jerseyans are qualified to donate blood, and it only takes 10 minutes," Alaigh said. "The holiday time is a challenge, when you talk about winter storms, and we are all busy with our lifestyles. This is the time we raise the awareness levels and make sure the public understands the need."
In general, donors must be in good health, be at least 17 years old — 16 with parental consent — and weigh at least 110 pounds.
Ryan Berardi, a 19-year-old college student who suffers from leukemia, said that when blood supplies are short, his treatments must be postponed.
Not only is it an inconvenience, it also affects his health.
"Low blood counts cause shortness of breath, dizziness, light headedness, extreme fatigue and the potentiality of bleeding out,’’ said Berardi, who lives in Ocean County. "Plainly put, you feel absolutely awful."
The campaign to recruit more donors, led by the New Jersey Workplace Blood Donor Coalition, includes a web-based calendar that lists blood drives across the state, said Kevin Rigby, chairman of the coalition.
"Nine out of 10 people will have a need for blood, whether it’s for a loved one or someone close to them," said Rigby, who is also vice president and head of public affairs at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. "We can encourage people who have never given blood to give blood now ... For those who do give blood, maybe encourage them to give twice or three times, to increase their number of donations.
"If we ... make sure more people donate and those who donate increase it just a little bit more more, we can truly have a sustainable blood supply for the state of New Jersey," he said.
Sally Wells, director of the New Brunswick Affiliated Hospitals Blood Center, said the poor economy has had a negative impact on blood drives. She noted that some businesses have moved out of the state and that blood centers have had to rely more on college and high school students to fill the need.
More information may be found at www.njsave3lives.com.
Previous coverage:
• N.J. health officials launch campaign to recruit more blood donors due to shortage
• Blood donors line up to honor slain Jersey City Police Detective Marc DiNardo
• N.J. Sen. Frank Lautenberg urges end to ban on blood-donations by gay men
• Coalition aims to end state's blood shortage by doubling NJ donors