Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick (R,C,I-Smithtown), in partnership with the New York Blood Center, will be holding a blood drive on Thursday, July 22 from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Hauppauge Fire Department, 855 Wheeler Road in the  Second Floor Meeting Room. While walk-ins are welcome, appointments are preferred. Visit nybc.org/donate or call 1-800-933-BLOOD to make an appointment.

New York Blood Center has the following COVID-19 policies in place:

• Please wear a face covering if not vaccinated;
• Temperatures will be taken upon arrival; and
• All donors must be symptom-free for 14 days if recovering from COVID-19, must not have a positive COVID-19 diagnosis in the past 14 days or be self-quarantining.

This blood drive will not be testing for COVID-19. Individuals are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider for such a test.

Roughly 2,000 blood donations are needed each day in the New York-New Jersey region. Especially helpful are type O negative blood donations, which are universally accepted by all patients regardless of blood type. However, all blood types are needed. Each blood donation can save up to three lives. Donations are used in a variety of scenarios and patient needs.