Media Contact: Michael Tedesco
(585) 623-6144 | Michael.tedesco@redcross.org
 

Rochester, NY (August 29, 2024) — After months of planning and renovations, the American Red Cross of Greater Rochester will welcome blood donors to a new, expanded Perinton location Tuesday, September 10. The site, located in the Perinton Hills Shopping Center on Pittsford-Palmyra Road, across from the Perinton Wegmans, will now allow for the addition of platelet and plasma collections. The expanded site is located near the previous Red Cross blood donor center within the same plaza that did not have the size or capacity to house equipment to collect individual blood products like platelets. The last day for donations at the existing center is August 31.

Platelets are tiny cells in the blood that are often needed by cancer patients. For millions of Americans, platelets are essential to surviving and fighting cancer, chronic diseases, and traumatic injuries. Currently, only two other blood donation centers in Monroe County – in West Henrietta and Greece - collect platelets.

“Platelets and other blood products are essential for the thousands of cancer patients that we treat each year,” said Daniel Mulkerin, MD, medical director at the Wilmot Cancer Institute and professor of Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “Anything that makes it easier for blood donations and platelet collection is a positive step forward.”

Apheresis equipment at the new site will also allow for the collection of plasma. Type AB plasma is used in emergency and trauma situations to stop help stop bleeding and can be given to anyone regardless of their blood type.

“As an organization that provides 40% of the nation’s blood supply, we’re particularly excited about the new, expanded site because it will help meet the increasing need for not only whole blood, but especially platelets given the increasing numbers of cancer patients in Rochester and throughout western New York,” said Nick Bond, CEO of the American Red Cross, Western New York Region. “We are confident that blood donors will feel even more comfortable in the new space, and thrilled that it will allow us to help even more people in our community who rely on lifesaving blood products, whether it is an ongoing or emergency need.”

For many years, the Red Cross has operated a whole blood collection site within the Perinton Hills location. The expansion will help meet the increasing demand for whole blood and components like platelets, increase operational efficiency and expand blood collection capabilities to serve even more patients and save more lives. Providing a location on the east side of Monroe County will also offer convenience to residents of eastern Monroe and western Wayne Counties. Currently the only two sites in the area with the ability to collect platelets are located in West Henrietta and Greece.

The Greater Rochester area has a unique place in the history of the American Red Cross. Not only did Red Cross founder Clara Barton establish the very first Red Cross chapter in nearby Dansville, the first public blood bank in the nation was established in Rochester in 1947. Since that time, residents of greater Rochester have enhanced the community’s legacy of caring through their generous and compassionate donation of lifesaving blood. That is important, considering:

• The Red Cross provides 40% of the nation’s blood supply, collecting more than 100,000 units each year in western New York alone and distributing them to every local hospital.
• Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion.
• One in seven patients entering a hospital will require a blood transfusion.
• People suffering from cancer, living with sickle cell disease and trauma patients are just some of those who require blood transfusions to survive.
• Nearly 50% of donated platelets go to cancer patients.
• Every 15 seconds, a patient in the U.S. receives platelets.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.