NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems, has announced a collaboration with James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel to create an exclusive chocolate bar called the 3 Lives Bar to raise awareness that one blood donation can save up to three lives, and encourage others to donate blood at the New York Blood Center to assist with the blood supply in New York City.
Following a blood donation, donors are advised to rehydrate and eat a snack to assist in restoring blood volume. To encourage New Yorkers to donate, Ansel, the chef/owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery and creator of the Cronut, has crafted the exclusive chocolate bar to thank everyone who donates through the New York Blood Center on select dates.
The 3 Lives Bar is made of decadent Valrhona 62 percent dark chocolate, creamy dark chocolate ganache and a heart-shaped strawberry ganache center – a surprise that’s revealed when biting or cutting into it. A glimmer of pink luster tops it all off for the finishing touch.
Select New York Blood Center locations (Saturday, March 23 through Friday, March 29) include:
- Grand Central: 115 E. 41st Street
- Upper East Side: 310 E. 67th Street
- Downtown Brooklyn: 30 Flatbush Avenue
Mobile Unit locations (all noon to 6 p.m. on dates specified below) include:
- SoHo: New York City Fire Museum, 278 Spring Street (Sunday, March 24)
- Upper West Side: Lincoln Center, Columbus Avenue & W. 63rd Street (Monday, March 25)
- Astoria: CVS Pharmacy, 31-01 Ditmars Boulevard (Tuesday, March 26)
- Upper West Side: Amity Hall Uptown, 982 Amsterdam Avenue (Wednesday, March 27)
- Union Square East: Union Square at East 17th street (Thursday, March 28)
Every two seconds, someone in the US requires a blood transfusion. The benefits of donating blood include helping people injured in accidents, undergoing cancer treatment and battling blood diseases, among other reasons. According to New York Blood Center, low donor turnout at the start of the year had led to a 25 percent drop in donations.
“We have a responsibility to our community to raise awareness about the critically low blood levels and aid in driving sign-ups for donors,” says Devika Mathrani, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at NewYork-Presbyterian. “We are proud to join forces with Chef Dominique Ansel and support the New York Blood Center to encourage New Yorkers to donate. The campaign was developed with creative agency partner, Havas New York, and is a twist on the ‘drop culture’ phenomenon where limited-edition product releases bring in crowds. We wanted to find a way to raise awareness and attract new donors in a compelling and culturally relevant way.”
“We are excited about the impact this collaboration with Chef Dominique Ansel and New York Blood Center will have on the blood supply,” says Dr. Melissa Cushing, director of clinical laboratories, transfusion medicine and cellular therapies, and executive vice chair for clinical affairs, for the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine. “Having a sufficient blood supply is crucial to our work as a healthcare system.”
“Each day, we put our hearts into everything we do at the Bakery, just as the team at NewYork-Presbyterian does in caring for their patients,” says Chef Dominique Ansel. “With the 3 Lives Bar, I wanted to create a way to say thank you to New York – our home and community – for coming together to give back in a way that will save lives and encourage others to consider donating.”
