Correction - The event is scheduled for Monday, January 9 at 11:00 am.

 Health and Senior Services Commissioner Mary E. O'Dowd,

NJ Hospital Association President/CEO Betsy Ryan and Virtua CEO Rich Miller Attend Virtua Memorial Blood Drive to Discuss What NJ Residents, Employers Can Do to Help 

• Fact: NJ has less than a 48 hour supply of blood for trauma care, critical surgeries, cancer patients and organ transplants
• Fact: NJ's Critical Blood Shortage forces the state to import nearly 50,000 Units of Blood
• Fact: Nine out of 10 people will need blood at some time in their lives
• Fact:  60% of NJ adults are eligible to donate blood; only 3.6 % do
• Fact: If NJ increased donations to the national average of 5%, the state could have a self-sustaining blood supply

 WHAT:             Press Conference to Discuss NJ's Critical Blood Shortage

WHEN:             Monday, January 9, 2012, 11 am

 WHERE:           Virtua Memorial lobby

                        175 Madison Avenue,

                         Mount Holly, NJ 08060

 SPEAKERS:

DHSS Commissioner Mary O'Dowd

Betsy Ryan, President & CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association

Rich Miller, Virtua, CEO

Dr. Craig Turner, President Medical Staff, Assistant Chief of Emergency Medicine, Virtua Memorial, Mount Holly

 A list of Blood Donation Centers and Hospital Blood Collection Sites is available on the NJDHSS website at:  http://www.state.nj.us/health/njsave3lives/centers.shtml

http://www.state.nj.us/health/njsave3lives/hospitals.shtml

 For complete information on New Jersey's chronic blood shortage and what you can do to help, please visit:  http://www.state.nj.us/health/njsave3lives/index.shtml