Due to the water main break in the Student Union, the Community Blood Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania and Western New York’s blood bank drive scheduled for next Thursday, March 5, will be moved to the Mercy Heritage Room in Sullivan Hall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Community Blood Bank comes to Mercyhurst every 112 days, according to Communication and Marketing Coordinator and recent Mercyhurst graduate Nicole Leone.

“The goal is to provide a safe and adequate blood supply to patients in need,” Leone said.

In order to be eligible to give blood, students must have had no tattoos or piercings in the past 12 months, be over 110 lbs and have passed their last blood donation by 56 days.

“The process itself does not take that long,” said Leone, who majored in Strategic Communication at Mercyhurst. “The time spent actually giving the blood only takes about 5 to 7 minutes on average.”

At Mercyhurst, the average number of donors to the Community Blood Bank when it is on campus has been up to 50 students, according to Leone. However, recently the numbers of donors at the school has been declining.

“We are struggling a little bit getting people right now,” said Leone. The Blood Bank has encountered several drive cancellations in the past few weeks due to the harsh weather conditions in Erie.

One of the main benefits of the Community Blood Bank, according to Leone, is that all donations remain local.

“The blood you donate stays in the Erie community,” Leone said.

For more information about donating, call 814-456-4206 or email info@fourhearts.org.