With local blood supplies at their lowest recent levels in the New York region, Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts once again partnered with the New York Blood Center (NYBC) to host a community blood drive on Wednesday at Empire City Casino. Also supporting the cause were state, county and local elected officials from around the region including New York State Assembly Member Nader Sayegh, New York State Assembly Member Yudelka Tapia, New York State Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, New York State Senator Shelley Mayer, New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, County Legislator James Nolan, Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard and Yonkers City Council Minority Leader Michael Breen.
“We are grateful to Empire City Casino and the New York Blood Center for hosting this blood drive, which addresses a critical problem,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “The need for blood is constant ”“ and is essential to help patients survive surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries. Lifesaving care can begin with just one person making a donation, and the County is honored to support such an important cause.”
As the region works to recover from the ongoing pandemic, the blood drive provided an opportunity to raise awareness on the importance and vital need for regular blood donations. Wednesday”™s blood drive resulted in nearly 50 donations that will make it to local area hospitals in the next 24 to 48 hours to treat patients in need.
MGM Resorts acquired Empire City Casino in January 2019 and has a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility. Through this commitment, Empire City continues to support the critical need for donor participation. New York Blood Center currently only has a two to three-day supply of blood, which is well-below what is typically needed by local area hospitals to treat patients ranging from trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, to cancer patients and beyond.
One state elected official that has supported this initiative year after year not only by co-sponsoring but also donating at the blood drive is New York State Senator Shelley Mayer. She also regularly donates blood at drives held throughout her district.
“Thank you to Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts and New York Blood Center for organizing this blood drive,” said New York State Senator Shelley Mayer. “Donating is an important way we can show our support for our community, especially as we face a severe blood shortage. I encourage all my neighbors who are eligible to donate.”
“Every day, our families and friends along with those who we may not know are in need of blood due to a medical procedure or a chronic illness,” said Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howards. “I am thankful to the New York Blood Center and Empire Casino for raising awareness and fulfilling their civic duty to ensure that the local blood supply in our region is sufficient enough to meet the demands of those who are in need of this precious gift of life.”Nationally, over 4.5 million Americans require a blood transfusion annually, with an individual needing blood every two seconds. Despite this extensive need, only 10 percent of eligible blood donors in the United States actually donate.
