County blood going to city

Local blood service organization asks legislators to intervene

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — Everyone’s aware that New York City gets our water, but it also gets our blood.

Twice a year, county officials stage a blood drive at the government center. And, according to Dawn Ciorciari, a representative from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Region Blood Services (NEPA) organization that is affiliated with the American Red Cross, the blood does not stay in Sullivan County. It is shipped, instead, to New York City.

Ciorciari informed lawmakers on July 11 that her organization supplies all the blood needed to Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and other facilities in Sullivan County. However, the blood drives at the government center are conducted by the Hudson Valley Blood Bank, which is a private company that ships the blood to New York City.

Ciorciari said the situation exists because “eight or nine years ago, Hudson Valley did supply blood to CRMC, but that has changed.” She said there is lot of competition for blood, and the local need for blood is growing every year. She said it would be helpful if the legislature could come up with a way to help the local supply.

Lawmaker Jodi Goodman, who works at CRMC, said some high schools in the county also staged blood drives with Hudson Valley.

Molly Dalton, director of communications for NEPA, said in a subsequent interview that the summer is especially important regarding the collection of blood, because high school and college students who contribute about 25 percent of the blood supply in our region cannot easily be reached for blood donations.

At the meeting, Legislator Ron Hiatt, chairman of the health and human services committee, said he would sit down with all sides to try to figure out the best way to deal with the situation. He said it was possible that the county could increase the number of blood drives it stages to more than two a year.

According to the Red Cross, blood donors must be at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health; many medications are acceptable for blood donors. Interested parties can get more information by calling 800/GIVE LIFE or visiting www.nepagivelife.org.

In another matter related to health, Goodman said that seven insurance companies in Brooklyn are refusing to pay for treatment for summer visitors who go to CRMC or other facilities for medical treatment. Many people from Brooklyn and other areas spend weeks in Sullivan County in the summer, and often seek treatment at CRMC. She asked the committee for a letter urging the insurance companies to recognize CRMC as a medical provider.

The committee agreed to do that.