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Governor Announces Opening of Two New Blood Plasma Collection Sites in North Jersey
Red Cross Collection Sites in Fairfield and Newark
Two new American Red Cross convalescent blood plasma collection sites have opened in North Jersey, at the Red Cross blood center in Fairfield and at University Hospital in Newark.
Eligible donors must be fully recovered from COVID-19 and symptom free, and must otherwise meet regular blood donation eligibility criteria.
Individuals are encouraged to register to donate at RedCrossBlood.org/plasma4covid. Once registered, someone will follow up to qualify the potential donor, and once qualified, the donor will receive an appointment time and location to donate. Please note that plasma collection is by appointment only.
The announcement of the two new donor sites was made jointly by Gov.Phil Murphy, Red Cross New Jersey Region CEO Rosie Taravella, and Shereef Elnahal, President and CEO of University Hospital.
“By opening two convalescent plasma collections sites in North Jersey, where there is a concentration of the state’s highest infection rates and deaths, the American Red Cross can identify more donors and better serve patients in need of this therapy,” said Gov. Murphy.
LOCATIONS:
The Red Cross collection center in Fairfield is at 209 Fairfield Road, Fairfield, N.J. 07004. University Hospital is at 150 Bergen Street, Newark, N.J. 07103.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March announced an initiative to collect plasma from persons who have recovered from novel coronavirus to treat patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections. This therapy uses the blood plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to treat new patients who are severely ill with the virus.
The blood plasma from recovered patients contains antibodies that may help critically ill patients fight the virus.
“The Red Cross is fortunate to witness the best of humanity as people roll up a sleeve to help those in need. We greatly appreciate the generosity of the public, and those recovered COVID-19 patients who step up in an effort to help someone during this difficult time,” said Red Cross CEO Taravella.
“In our battle against COVID-19, we are excited to be trialing this potential life-saving therapy,” said University Hospital CEO Elnahal.
University Hospital is one of the first hospitals in the state to receive the FDA approval for convalescent plasma treatment in New Jersey, with about 100 COVID-19 patients treated so far. The effectiveness of this treatment is not yet known – but many patients who received this therapy have recovered.
Other New Jersey hospitals are participating in the FDA’s program to access convalescent plasma for their patients by accessing one of the three pathways by which they can acquire plasma. If not already registered to participate with the Red Cross to access plasma, hospitals may register here:
Read the full Morris County Government Press Release HERE.
