NYC DDC | DDC Reaches Milestone in Blood Donation Initiative

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January 8, 2018

DDC Reaches Milestone in Blood Donation Initiative

Contact:
Dan Leibel
718-391-1251

Long Island City, NY – Acting Commissioner Ana Barrio of the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) announced today that the agency contributed 427 pints of blood to the New York Blood Center in 2017. DDC received the Blood Center’s “Top Participating City Agency Award” in 2016, when 473 pints were donated, and has donated 5,576 pints to the Blood Center since 2000. Four more blood drive dates are set for 2018 at the agency’s Long Island City headquarters.

“DDC’s blood donation program makes possible many life-saving procedures for City residents,” said Acting Commissioner Barrio. “The success of our quarterly blood drives demonstrates our employees’ commitment to helping others. I’m very proud of their generosity and thoughtfulness.”

In 2016, DDC was the top New York City agency for blood donations to the New York Blood Center

DDC’s 5,500th donation came from Andre Berryhill, 47, who works in the agency’s budget and finance unit. The Queens resident says he has participated in virtually every blood drive since 2000, and is motivated by the people he knows who rely on donations to survive.

“I give for many reasons, and I believe donating is a nice thing to do to help people,” said Andre Berryhill. “I have known people who have cancer and need blood, and the thought of helping somebody motivates me. It’s human nature to want to help – it’s something people should do. I try to lead by example.”

Andre Berryhill, center, was the 5,500th DDC donation to the New York Blood Center. DDC’s organizers presented him with a gift basket marking the accomplishment.

The New York Blood Center’s mission is to provide the highest quality blood and stem cell products and related medical and consultative services to hospitals and patients primarily in the greater New York metropolitan area; conduct the highest quality, novel and innovative research in the fields of hematology, blood banking and transfusion medicine, and cellular therapies, thus advancing these fields and positively impacting the public health; develop products, technologies, and services in the fields of hematology, blood banking, and transfusion medicine and cellular therapies, with the potential to have worldwide humanitarian impact; and to train the next generation of leaders in each of these fields.

The group organizes numerous blood drives each month to help City residents. For more information about how to donate or how to host a blood drive, contact the Blood Center at (800) 933-2566 or through its website here.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s lenses of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, new or upgraded roadways, sewers, water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $15 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative, and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to city projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.