Casting a vote on Friday morning to reconsider the 2007 purchase of 666 Fifth Avenue, the slumping New York City hospital Blood Centers of New York was cut off from the capital funds it needed to keep its New York City blood bank open.
The building-wide ban on funding Blood Centers was imposed on July 1 due to concerns that the Blood Centers might not be in compliance with regulations requiring blood banks to register, in more ways than one, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The restrictions have put us in an untenable position,” Blood Centers of New York CEO Kurt Miller said in a statement, including the hospital’s credit rating and its desire to remodel its blood bank.
“This action places all of our patients at risk, including our scheduled surgeries, and is a clear sign that the level of respect and care the New York Blood Center has for our patients and communities has declined,” Miller said.
In response, an ongoing lawsuit filed by New York Blood Center is asking a judge to lower the ban. New York Blood Center has raised concerns that the recent CDC regulations on the registration of blood banks are overly burdensome and probably were not realized until recently by Blood Centers. The regulations were implemented because lawmakers were concerned that the Blood Centers were not collecting blood legally, but they have been downplayed by Blood Centers, according to the group.
According to Blood Centers, 5,500 patients were impacted by the decision to disallow its funding request.
The Blood Centers has a website that explains how to donate blood, how to register and provides emergency medical services such as blood and platelets.
Get more from Cheryl Chumley at her blog, What the Bible Says.