MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey Blood Services/New York Blood Center (NYBC) has declared a blood emergency. The organization is asking people across Morris County to donate blood to help replenish the blood supply for hospitals throughout the area.

In order to maintain a safe blood supply, a seven-day inventory of all blood types must be continually replenished. Right now, reserves are below that minimum.

These low levels are particularly dangerous leading into summer months, when people are less likely to donate blood as schools go on summer break and families take vacations. The best preparation for life-threatening situations is having blood on hospital shelves in advance.

Our appeal happens to coincide with World Blood Donor Day, which is Thursday, June 14th, and celebrates volunteer blood donors for their life-saving gifts. This year it falls on the anniversary of the 2017 shooting at the congressional baseball practice. To recognize the importance of blood donations, members of the Republican and Democrat congressional baseball teams have joined together in a bipartisan, bicameral effort to promote World Blood Donor Day and the vital work of independent blood centers such as NYBC.

“Every single day, blood donations help save lives – and right now, the need is critical,” said Andrea Cefarelli, Senior Executive Director of Donor Recruitment for New York Blood Center. “We’re calling on everyone to do what they can to spread the word, host a blood drive or simply take an hour out of their day to donate.”

Community members are encouraged to find time to donate blood at a NYBC donor center or convenient mobile blood drive, especially donors with O negative and B negative blood types. O negative blood donors are considered “universal,” and their blood type is needed most readily in trauma situations and emergency rooms across the country. B negative is a particularly rare blood type.

Companies, organizations, and community groups are also encouraged to host a blood drive this summer to help rebuild the blood supply, especially during the months of July and August.

In just 60 minutes, you can donate one pint of blood and Save a Life, Right Here, Right Now in your own community. About one in seven hospital admissions requires a blood transfusion, and with a limited shelf life, supplies must be continually replenished. Those in need include: cancer patients, accident, burn, or trauma victims, newborn babies and their mothers, transplant recipients, surgery patients, chronically transfused patients suffering from sickle cell disease or thalassemia, and many more.

How to help:

• Donate blood or platelets at a donor center.
• Donate at a mobile blood drive.
• Host a blood drive in your community or at your organization.
• Educate others in your family, community, and organization about blood donations, and encourage them to donate themselves and/or host a blood drive.
• Promote the need for blood donors on social media.

For more information on where to donate or how to set up your own drive click here or call 1-800-933-2566.

About New York Blood Center: Founded in 1964, New York Blood Center (NYBC) is a nonprofit organization that is one of the largest independent, community-based blood centers in the world. NYBC, along with its partner organizations Community Blood Center of Kansas City, Missouri (CBC), Innovative Blood Resources (IBR), Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD), and Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC), collect approximately 4,000 units of blood products each day and serve local communities of more than 45 million people in the Tri-State area (NY, NJ, CT), Mid Atlantic area (PA, DE, MD), the Kansas City metropolitan area, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Southern New England. NYBC and its partners also provide a wide array of transfusion-related medical services, including Comprehensive Cell Solutions, the National Center for Blood Group Genomics, the National Cord Blood Program, and the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, which — among other milestones — developed the Hepatitis B vaccine and a patented solvent detergent plasma process innovating blood-purification technology worldwide.

PARSIPPANY – The president of Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS) and his brother – a senior employee at the now-defunct company – were sentenced to federal prison terms for their respective roles in a conspiracy in which millions of dollars in bribes were paid to physicians for blood sample referrals worth more than $100 million to the company, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services was located at 181 New Road.

David Nicoll, 44, of Mountain Lakes, was sentenced to 72 months in prison; Scott Nicoll, 37, of Wayne, was sentenced to 43 months in prison. Each defendant had previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to an information charging one count of conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Federal Travel Act and one count of money laundering. Judge Chesler imposed the sentences today in Newark federal court.

“Today, the president of a diagnostic lab company and his brother were sentenced for their leading roles in a scam that led to one of the largest ever prosecutions of medical professionals in a bribery case,” U.S. Attorney Carpenito said. “Medical referrals from a doctor should be based on what’s in the patient’s best interest, not on how much money the doctor is offered in kickbacks. The number of doctors and medical professionals sent to prison in this case should make that message abundantly clear.”

The investigation has resulted in the convictions of 53 defendants – 38 of them of doctors – in connection with the bribery scheme, which its organizers have admitted involved millions of dollars in bribes and resulted in more than $100 million in payments to BLS from Medicare and various private insurance companies. It is believed to be the largest number of medical professionals ever prosecuted in a bribery case. The investigation has recovered more than $15 million through forfeiture. On June 28, 2016, BLS, which is no longer operational, pleaded guilty and was required to forfeit all of its assets.

“The FBI views health care fraud as a severe crime problem that impacts every American,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie said. “Fraud and abuse take critical resources out of our health care system, and contribute to the rising cost of health care for everyone. Today’s sentencing of David Nicoll and his brother Scott Nicoll are the result of a multi-agency investigation into a complex health care fraud scheme, requiring substantial investigative resources. The FBI, with its law enforcement partners, will continue to allocate a significant amount of expert resources to investigate these crimes and prosecute all those that are intent in defrauding the American public.”

“These two individuals masterminded an elaborate health care fraud scheme based on nothing more than greed,” Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said. “We trust that the work with our law enforcement partners – especially the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, IRS, and Postal Inspection Service – will send a clear message and dissuade individual health ‘professionals’ from making such corrosive schemes possible.”

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On April 9, 2013, federal agents arrested BLS president and part owner, David Nicoll; Scott Nicoll, a senior BLS employee and others, who were charged by complaint with bribery conspiracy, along with the BLS company. The conspiracy made millions in illegal profits between 2006 and April of 2013. David and Scott Nicoll admitted that BLS made substantially more than $100 million from Medicare and private insurance companies – just from bills related to blood specimens sent to BLS by bribed doctors.

BLS paid doctors millions of dollars – in cash or under the guise of sham lease, service, and consulting agreements through an elaborate network of shell entities used for that purpose. The defendants also admitted that one component of the bribery scheme was to pay some doctors a fee per test to induce them to increase their ordering of certain tests.

“Health care fraud of this magnitude cannot be tolerated, and today’s sentencings are the direct result of the tremendous investigative skills of all the participating law enforcement agencies,” Bryant Jackson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS – Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, said. “IRS – Criminal Investigation is proud to have been a part of this investigative team that helped to bring down and dismantle this massive health care conspiracy.”

“Throughout the course of this long-running investigation, Postal Inspectors, federal prosecutors and our law enforcement partners have diligently worked to unravel this elaborate bribery conspiracy,” Acting Inspector in Charge Judy Ramos of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said. “Although, the final defendants in this matter face sentencing today, Postal Inspectors will continue to tirelessly investigate complex fraud schemes that target consumers and businesses through the U.S. Mail.”

In addition to the prison terms, Judge Chesler sentenced the Nicolls to one year of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ehrie; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Lampert; IRS–Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jackson, and inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Ramos, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.

PARSIPPANY — Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar, the award-winning upscale boutique burger restaurant, is honoring Dad on his big day by offering a free meal on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17.

Dads will receive either a large salad or entrée sandwich with the purchase of an entrée at equal or less value.

This Father’s Day special is valid at all fifteen east coast locations for dine-in only.

For more information click here.

Since opening the East Coast’s first Zinburger in Clifton, more than seven years ago to much fanfare, stellar reviews and packed crowds, Zinburger has developed an almost fanatical guest following who enjoy made-to-order gourmet burgers, hand-dipped shakes and floats, decadent pies and 25 wine varieties.

All the gourmet burgers at Zinburger are scratch-made and cooked-to-order on a griddle in their own juices.  The Certified Angus Beef, American-style Kobe Beef and Certified Angus Beef/Prime Rib Blend are ground fresh at least twice a day.

Last year, Zinburger was named to Full Service Restaurant Magazine’s “The Top 50 Emerging Restaurant Chains,” which features the top 50 high potential, performance-proven full-service brands with fewer than 50 locations.

The Briad Group®, headquartered in Livingston, is one of the fastest growing hospitality companies in the U.S. The Briad Group’s entities are: licensed franchisees for Wendy’s, TGI Fridays™, Marriott and Hilton.  The Briad Group also owns Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar, an upscale gourmet burger and wine concept that is rapidly expanding on the East coast.