ROSELAND, NJ - Roseland Boro will be hosting their fifth annual blood drive to honor the events of 9/11. Anyone interested in donating blood is invited to drop in at Borough Hall for "Roseland Remembers 9/11" on Friday, Sept. 11, between the hours of 1pm and 7pm. Prospective donors must bring with them a signed identification card or a photo ID. 
The event is organized each year by a committee led by Lisa Loprete-Duthie. 

Donors who wish to schedule a specific appointment so they can be sure they will be seen right away should call 201-251-3703. Borough Hall is located at 19 Harrison Avenue, Roseland.

Blood Donation Process
The event will be organized by 
Community Blood Services which supplies blood and blood products to more than 30 hospitals in the New Jersey-New York region. The donation process includes registration, a brief medical screening, the blood collection and time for refreshments afterward. The entire time needed usually takes about one hour.

Sterile disposable equipment is employed to take each donor’s blood with a brand new needle for each blood donation. There is no risk of getting any disease from giving blood; once the blood is taken, the needle is destroyed.  

General Donor Requirements
Community Blood Services lists the following information for prospective donors:
 

• Donors must be 17 years old, or 16 with parental permission; at age 76 a donor must provide a recent letter from a doctor indicating they are capable of donating a pint of blood
   
• Must be a minimum weight of 110 pounds; there is no maximum limit
   
• Must be in general good health and not have a cold, flu or sore throat at the time of donation
   
• Must be eight weeks since the time of the last blood donation 
   
• Anyone with any type of body piercing or tattoo may donate provided the procedure was done under sterilized conditions. If it was not, the person must wait one year before donating blood.

Medical Screening Process

• At the registration desk, a medical technician will take a drop of the donor’s blood and check their hemoglobin level to ensure that they have enough to donate and their cholesterol and glucose levels will also be evaluated
  
  
• Additionally, each donor’s blood pressure will be taken and will need to be within the acceptable range of 180/100. Each donor will later be mailed a blood donor card with their blood type and cholesterol level printed on it.
  
  
• All males age 40 and older may also request a complimentary and simple PSA Test to screen for prostate cancer. 

Vaccine Waiting Period
Flu, Tetanus and Lyme vaccines have no waiting period at all.  There is a three day waiting period for donors who receive the Hepatitis B vaccine. There is a 30 day waiting period for those donors who have had the following vaccinations:

• Chicken Pox 
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella 

Medications Not Permitted
Anyone on medication will need to provide its name so the healthcare professional can evaluate it. Persons who are using the following medications will not be permitted to donate blood:

• Absorica
• Accutane
• Acitretin
• Amnesteem
• Avodart
• Claravis
• Clopidogrel
• Coumadin
• Dutasteride
• Etretinate
• Finasteride
• Insulin
• Isotretinoin
• Jalyn
• Jantoven
• Plavix
• Propecia
• Proscar
• Soriatane
• Sotret
• Tegison
• Warfarin

Travel Restrictions
Due to concerns over Malaria and Mad Cow Disease, those who have traveled to the following locations will be screened and possibly deferred:
 

• Haiti and parts of the Dominican Republic
  Must wait one year from the time of travel before donating
   
• United Kingdom
  (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands)
  Anyone who lived in the above locations, for a total of three months or more, from 1980 to 1996 is not eligible to donate blood
  
  

How the Blood is Used
Prior to its being used, the blood donation undergoes rigorous testing procedures. In addition to blood typing, the tests include screening for hepatitis, syphilis, and HIV. One unit of blood can be separated into red cells, platelets, and plasma and may end up going to three separate individuals:
 

• Red blood cells
  used to treat patients who are anemic 
   
• Platelets
  used to help treat patients with leukemia
   
• Plasma
  used to treat patients in shock due to fluid loss as a result of burns

Further Information
Borough of Roseland
Mayor John Duthie
19 Harrison Avenue
Roseland, N.J. 07068
973-226-8080 
Email  
Website 
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ORANGE, NJ - During the month of September, Essex County is offering a free Yoga Class every Monday evening, suitable for both beginners and seasoned yoga practitioners. The class takes place from 6:30pm to 7:45pm, rain or shine, on the Clipper Pavilion Waterfront in South Mountain Reservation, and no registration is required. All are asked to bring a yoga mat and dress in comfortable clothing.

DATES
Free Yoga Classes every Monday evening at 6:30pm throughout the month of September:

• Sept. 7
  
• Sept. 14
  
• Sept. 21
  
• Sept. 28

Further Information
Essex County 
County Executive:  Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.
465 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Newark, NJ 07102
973-621-4400
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