17 blood drives in New York, including 7 on Long Island Friday, this weekend, canceled due to cyberattack

The New York Blood Center has canceled 17 planned blood drives, including on Long Island, New York City and in Westchester, after a ransomware attack, the blood center reported Friday.

The blood center said their systems were attacked Sunday when they noticed suspicious activity affecting their technical systems. Cybersecurity experts contacted identified the ransomware, according to a statement on the center’s website. 

Officials notified law enforcement and were working to contain the threat, but did not have an estimate when their systems would be back online.

The blood center said they were still supplying hospital systems with blood and accepting blood donations at regular donor centers by working around the cyberattack. But processing at donor centers may take longer and some community blood drives would have to be rescheduled, the center said.

On Long Island, the blood center canceled blood drives Friday and Sunday at the AHRC Suffolk Chapter in Bohemia and the Bohemia Fire Department, Our Lady of Lourdes in West Islip, Riverhead Cider House, Scott’s Pointe in Calverton, St. Edward the Confessor Church in Syosset and at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in West Babylon.

The blood center did not respond to inquiries Friday about the cyber intrusion.

A blood drive Saturday hosted by the blood center and Suffolk County police is still going  forward at the Commack Fire Department in honor of fallen officer Glen Ciano, police said.

The blood drive is planned from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the firehouse at 6309 Jericho Turnpike.

Ciano was killed by a drunken driver while responding to a call Feb. 22, 2009, in Commack. His family has honored his memory, marking 15 years that they’ve hosted the blood drive with police.

Meanwhile, the New York Blood Center has also declared a blood emergency due to a 30% drop in donations during the holidays, and 6,500 fewer donations are needed to match Type O- and B- Blood. The blood center reported their supplies for those blood types are down to levels of one to three days.

“The months following the holiday season are always a difficult time for the blood supply, with an increase in seasonal illness and inclement winter weather impacting donations,” according to a statement by the blood center’s vice president Andrea Cefarelli. “The drop in donations serves as a critical reminder of the fragility of our nation’s blood supply. We’re urging all eligible New Yorkers to start the new year by saving lives.”