New York Blood Center bills itself as the "nation's largest, community-based, non-profit, independent blood center." Founded in 1964, it relies upon a staff of 2,000 workers (some of which are unionized workers, Local 1199 SEIU) and a much smaller permanent staff in order to supply over 200 hospitals in New York and New Jersey with a source of whole blood, platelets and plasma.
The Blood Center operates a variety of programs in concert with other medical facilities and health care providers, including a partnership with Hemophilia Services Consortium, Inc., which involves providing over 1,500 hemophliac patients with constant medical support, clotting agents and transfusions.
The New York Blood Center also operates what it bills as the "oldest and largest public cord blood bank," which collects, processes, tests and stores cord blood donated by individuals.
The New York Blood Center has locations in the New York City boroughs of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and The Bronx, as well as in Long Island, the Hudson Valley and New Jersey.
Howard Milstein is Chairman of the Board of the New York Blood Center and established the Howard P. Milstein National Cord Blood Center.