Blood is not only crucial for lifesaving surgeries and organ transplants, but it’s also the lifeblood of the New York Blood Center, the largest medical blood bank in the Northeast.
So what does the blood center have to gain from stealing over 600 rental units in a historic New York City building to consolidate offices? Apparently quite a bit.
For one, it will cut back on lease costs.
“We’re cutting the office space out of the building, taking out the tenants, and that immediately causes our costs to go down — and that’s exciting for us,” said Greg Romano, CEO of the blood center.
But an advocate says the center’s plans could put the well-being of patients at risk.
“That building has the best cancer care center and oncology center in New York City,” said Carole Solomon, a retired executive director of the American Cancer Society. “Does the blood center consider that as a life-threatening decision?”
Solomon believes the blood center is moving into the old Hotel Pennsylvania in Greenwich Village to save on rent and uproot patients into the city’s thriving, gentrifying neighborhood.
“The blood center has to make money, and this is their way of making money,” Solomon said. “The temptation is there.”
The New York Blood Center says it’s not budging.
“That’s just not true. We have a perfect symbiotic relationship with our physicians and doctors, our employees, and all the patients who use the services we provide,” Romano said.
Solomon, however, insists there are patients at risk. She wants the blood center to stay put in one of the safest buildings in New York.