Carter BloodCare announces closures in preparation for winter storm forecast
Safety cited in decision for Thursday’s closings
BEDFORD, Texas (Feb. 2, 2022) – The winter weather warning and the likelihood for unsafe travel conditions have led to Carter BloodCare’s difficult decision to temporarily shut down operations at its headquarters in Bedford, Woodway and Tyler on Thursday, Feb. 3. As the regions anticipate arrival of a wintry mix, the community blood program will also close its donor centers and will host no blood drives Thursday. Donor appointments at the centers are being rescheduled, as are the dates for blood drives.
Currently, Friday’s plans call for a delayed start of 10 a.m. at all headquarters and in donor centers usually open on Fridays (except for Lockheed Martin), but the blood center will make its final decision about Friday’s operations on Thursday evening. Weather conditions will influence the final decision and help determine if blood drives take place on Friday, Feb. 4.
“Closing all blood center operations for even one day is a tough decision to make,” said Carter BloodCare’s Veronica Moore, vice president of organizational relations. “First on our minds is the fact that blood is transfused daily to hundreds of patients for reasons that are often life-threatening. We are also into the second year of a chronic blood shortage that began with the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Moore cited donor and employee safety precautions as considerations leadership took into account in making the difficult choice to close operations Thursday. Carter BloodCare has more than 20 locations in North, Central and East Texas where blood donors can give blood. Additionally, sponsors host approximately 20 blood drives in those regions daily.
Carter BloodCare has created a webpage where blood donors and others can receive up-to-date information about operations’ closures or delays during the winter storm. Visit CarterBloodCare.org/weather/. Donors may continue to text 800-366-2834 for scheduling appointments when operations are closed.
Contact:
Linda Goelzer, APR
lgoelzer@carterbloodcare.org
817-412-5314/cell 817-709-9103
About Carter BloodCare
Carter BloodCare is a community-based, nonprofit blood center that provides lifesaving transfusion resources to more than 200 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of North, Central and East Texas. The 501(c) (3) organization is one of the largest blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 300,000 blood products annually to meet patients’ treatment requirements. Carter BloodCare’s services include collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, storage, and distribution of blood and blood products. The center is accredited by the AABB, including a laboratory with accreditation for molecular testing of red cell antigens. It is licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is a member of America’s Blood Centers.
