Collections technician Kaelie Murray-Simmons assists a donor during the American Red Cross blood drive at Temple Sholom in Greenwich, Conn. Monday, Aug. 2, 2021.  Greenwich residents are desperately needed to give blood at a drive set for Monday at the Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center in Glenville.

The American Red Cross is seeking blood donations to help with lifesaving medical procedures and for those impacted by Hurricane Ian. 

Greenwich residents will have an opportunity to help at a blood drive set for 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center at 449 Pemberwick Road in Glenville.

The blood drive was put together by Greenwich resident Gary Silberberg, who has been organizing drives in town every month for years. In honor of October and the upcoming Halloween holiday, Silberberg, who has been known to don a cape and fangs when seasonally appropriate, hinted that the “town vampire” might make an appearance.

There is “an urgent need for blood” because the Red Cross is sending Type O blood products to Florida to help with the impact of Hurricane Ian, said Stephanie Dunn Ashley, CEO of the American Red Cross’ Metro New York North chapter in Cos Cob.

“During September the Red Cross has experienced a decline in donations leading to a 20 percent drop in blood supply,” Dunn Ashley said. “By donating, you can pump up the blood supply for those in immediate need of life-saving care and those who rely on transfusions for treatment.”

Sign up to donate by visiting www.RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS. Silberberg said advance registrations are preferred but walk-ins will be accommodated if possible.

Donors should drink a lot of water in the days before donating blood, he said, and also recommended eating green leafy vegetables and red meats to get up your hemoglobin.

“Disasters aren’t scheduled but blood drives are,” Silberberg said.

The town Department of Health is preparing for flu season by offering several upcoming vaccine clinics at Town Hall.

The clinics will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 7; from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 12; from 3 to 6 p.m. Oct. 20; and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 25.

For those with no insurance or insurance the town does not accept, the fee is $35 for the seasonal vaccine and $65 for the high-impact dose. Credit cards will not be accepted; checks and cash only.

Bring your insurance card and wear a mask at the clinic.

The clinics will offer both the seasonal quadrivalent influenza vaccine and the quadrivalent adjuvanted vaccine, which is a high dose for those 65 and older.

The clinics will offer shots to those 9 and older.

Flu is highly contagious and can be spread through coughing, sneezing or touching a surface handled by others. Cases range from mild to severe. 

“Getting a flu vaccine is especially important to protect your health, your family’s health, co-workers, health-care workers and the community this season,” the department said.

COVID-19 booster shots will not be offered at any of the flu shot clinics, but a pneumonia vaccine will be available. 

"Getting your annual flu vaccine is the best, most effective thing you can do to keep from getting the flu, and from spreading it to family, friends, neighbors and co-workers,” town Director of Health Caroline Baisley said. “Many people at higher risk from flu also seem to be at higher risk from COVID-19. If you are at high risk, get a flu vaccine this year.”

Those with a moderate or severe illness with a fever should wait until their symptoms lessen before receiving a flu vaccination. Those with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, regardless of symptoms, should defer vaccination until all criteria from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for isolation have been met.

Residents who need to get rid of sensitive paper documents are in luck: Paper-shredding day is coming back to Greenwich.

From 9:30 a.m. to noon Oct. 8 in the Island Beach parking lot in downtown Greenwich, volunteers from the Greenwich Recycling Advisory Board and Greenwich Green & Clean will be on hand to collect boxes of papers that need to be shredded.

The service is offered to dispose of old bills, tax returns or other documents containing private information. The cost is $3 per box of documents, with a five-box maximum. 

To get the paper ready for shredding, remove any folders, cardboard, metal clips, binders, plastic and covers. Staples are accepted. Books, newspapers and magazines will not be accepted.  

Do not put papers in bags. Use a box or a rigid container that is no larger than 12”x18”x12”. The boxes can be returned. 

The event is co-sponsored by The First Bank of Greenwich and Santaguida Sanitation. The Greenwich Recycling Advisory Board called it “a reminder to keep paper out of the trash.”

The shredding day tradition goes back more than a decade. The organizers said they have shredded 119 tons of paper, which has then been recycled. 

“Residents are, however, encouraged to minimize the creation of paper that needs shredding,” organizers said. “Paper comes from trees, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, hold the soil to prevent erosion, provide clean air and beauty as well as homes for wildlife.”

For more information, email info@greenwichgreenandclean.org or call 203-629-2876.

Residents are invited to find out what it’s like to be members of the Greenwich Police Department.

The next session of the Citizen’s Police Academy is scheduled to begin Oct. 19 and then meet weekly over the next nine weeks from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the town’s Public Safety Complex off Greenwich Avenue. There will also be a class on Nov. 7, and graduation will be held on Dec. 21.

Applications will be accepted through Oct. 12. The program is free. 

“The Citizen's Police Academy provides Greenwich residents with a first-hand overview of law enforcement and community-related functions of the Greenwich Police Department,” according to the GPD. 

The instruction will focus on introduction to policing, crime prevention, scams and fraud, domestic violence investigation, police patrol operations, the GPD’s community impact section, how to work a crime scene, a look at the criminal investigation and special victims divisions, what happens after an arrest and use of force and deescalation.

Applicants, who must be Greenwich residents or town employees who are age 18 or older, will be interviewed by GPD officers and must pass a criminal background check. They will also be asked to commit to the full nine-week program. If there are more applicants than spots, there will be a lottery. 

Those enrolled will have the chance to accompany on-duty police personnel within the Marine Section and Patrol Division.

Applications are available at the front desk of the Greenwich Police Department or at www.greenwichct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/32839/2022-Fall-CPA-Application.

Ken Borsuk has been a reporter for Greenwich Time since 2015 but has been covering Greenwich news since 2000. He has extensively covered local government including the Board of Selectmen, Board of Estimate Taxation and Representative Town Meeting.