In emergencies, blood donors help in a pinch
Texas-based Carter BloodCare on call March 4-10 to respond to large-scale crises
BEDFORD, TEXAS – Feb. 29, 2024 – As part of its founding role in the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), Carter BloodCare is on call March 4 – 10 to assist with nationwide emergency blood needs.
BERC is a group of more than 30 blood centers across the United States, primed to respond following mass shootings, natural disasters and large-scale emergencies that deplete an impacted community’s blood supply.
Centers participate on a rotating cycle every three weeks. Units of blood are collected to build an available reserve for critical-need events. If BERC is not activated, those units return to the blood center’s supply; this ensures collected blood efficiently supports patients in need of transfusions.
The need for blood is nonstop, though, especially type O negative. As the universal blood type, O negative can be used to treat any patient, regardless of individual blood type. It is also the only type used to help premature and unborn babies.
Eligible donors throughout North, Central and East Texas are urged to give at a Carter BloodCare donor center or mobile blood drive. It takes less than an hour to donate to save lives.
As a thank-you gift, Carter BloodCare donors in March and April will receive a pop-up umbrella, while supplies last.
Schedule an appointment to save lives at CarterBloodCare.org or call 800-366-2834.
About Carter BloodCare
Carter BloodCare is an independent, community blood center providing transfusion resources to more than 200 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of North, Central and East Texas. The nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization is one of the largest blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 440,000 blood products annually to meet hospitals’ requirements for their patients. Services include collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, storage and distribution of blood and blood products.
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