Increased patient use of O+POSITIVE blood has caused an increased need for donors. Donate now!
NEW ORLEANS – The Blood Center (TBC) joins the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), established by blood centers from across the nation committed to preparing for mass transfusion disasters by collecting extra units for an emergency reserve. Facing an increasingly unsteady blood supply, TBC helped found a first-in-the-nation partnership, BERC, preparing for emergency situations like what occurred this weekend in Kentucky and neighboring states, when and where blood needs are high.
BERC is composed of blood centers from across the nation committed to reserving and collecting additional blood units on a rotating, “on call” schedule. The extra blood components are held in reserve for any critical-need scenario, like a mass shooting, natural disasters, etc.
“We aren’t scheduled to start assisting with BERC’s blood rotations till mid-January,” said Paul Adams, Public Relations Manager of The Blood Center. “But as a member of BERC, we know the need for blood can’t wait. When our neighbors need aid, we need to respond and help make them whole again. Recent events like the school shooting in Michigan (4 victims) and the tornadoes this weekend spanning nine states (70+ victims) are a grim reminder that blood must be readily available before an emergency. BERC provides Louisiana and our partner states a ready-to-go supply of blood to fill the holes appearing in our disaster response fabric.”
The nation’s blood centers continue to face widespread blood shortages in recent months, creating a severely strained national safety net for mass traumas and other high casualty disasters. As the state’s primary blood supplier, The Blood Center helped found BERC to be proactive in its emergency planning, rather than rely on an increasingly unstable back-up supply plan.
When faced with a mass-need event, Adams said, blood centers across the country have relied on patchwork pleas for additional blood resources. States that had extra blood on hand might send units, but there was nothing that a blood center could count on other than undefined goodwill. With BERC, partner blood centers will know exactly how much emergency blood is available and where it will come from.
To donate blood, donors can make an appointment by visiting TheBloodCenter.org or calling 800-86-BLOOD.