NORWICH – Chenango County’s only hospital is helping raise awareness for area blood drives in an effort to increase the nation’s blood supply.

“The American Red Cross has been working to monitor the nation’s blood supply and reduce the risk of shortages throughout the COVID-19 crisis. They’ve done an admirable job considering how many blood drives have had to be canceled,” said Chris Kisacky, Vice President of Service Coordination and Development at UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital.

Now, as hospitals like UHS Chenango Memorial resume elective surgeries, those inventories are dropping. The American Red Cross has scheduled a number of blood drives in Norwich, Sherburne, Oxford and Greene over the next 6 weeks.

Kisacky stressed the importance of having an adequate blood supply to care for patients.

“Giving blood can truly be giving the gift of life,” she said. “We are thrilled to see so many organizations hosting blood drives in Chenango County and surrounding communities.”

While the Norwich hospital is unable to host a blood drive of their own due to construction and COVID-19 precautions, they are sharing information about the local drives with staff and the community.

“By helping to get the word out about blood drives in our community, we’re still able to do our part to ensure a stable blood supply for not just our patients, but for our entire region,” said Kisacky.

According to a written statement by the American Red Cross, a number of social distancing and infection control measures are being implemented at each donation site to ensure the safety of donors. Appointments are required to manage the flow of donors and ensure social distancing precautions are followed.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital is a member of United Health Services, a locally owned not-for-profit 916-bed hospital and health care system serving the Greater Binghamton region from more than 40 locations around New York’s Southern Tier.