| Bikur Cholim receives calls from patients or their families in Rockland, Westchester and Orange Counties, Northern New Jersey, and New York, requesting directed donor blood for patients in need of transfusions.
Many patients feel more comfortable receiving blood products from a known source. With this in mind volunteer blood donors are ready to meet these requests at a moments notice.
Although directed blood cannot be provided for emergency transfusions (up to a seven days may be required for processing of blood products), a patient undergoing scheduled surgery or chemotherapy can receive the necessary blood from donors who would direct their blood or platelets to the patient in need.
Upon receiving the request for blood, the coordinator sets in motion all the necessary steps for the donation. Since each hospital has different requirements, the steps might differ for each patient. Hospitals, blood banks and donors must be contacted to set up patient files and schedule donor appointments. Often when the need is ongoing the same donors are used repeatedly creating an intangible yet inspiring bond between patient and donor.
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