Carter BloodCare rolls out support for blood resources in Ukraine
Texas blood center provides new direction for retired mobile collections vehicle
BEDFORD, Texas (May 3, 2023) – To support the critical need for blood resources in Ukraine, Carter BloodCare has donated a retired mobile collections coach for transport to the embattled Eastern European country.
The donor vehicle will depart Carter BloodCare’s North Texas headquarters in Bedford. After a Lone Star trek to the Port of Galveston, the coach will be loaded onto a cargo ship for its journey by sea to Poland and then overland to Ukraine.
The Texas-to-Ukraine mission comes as blood takes on renewed importance for public welfare in the besieged country. The Ukrainian health care community faces extraordinary challenges in supply and demand for lifesaving transfusions. Across the region, hospitals, blood centers and warehouses storing blood collection supplies have been damaged or destroyed due to missile and drone attacks.
“Those who give blood voluntarily are lifesavers for those who have lost blood involuntarily,” said Veronica Moore, Vice President of Marketing and Operations Support with Carter BloodCare. “The need for blood is one that the health care professionals and people of Ukraine understand all too well. We’re optimistic that Carter BloodCare’s mobile collections coach will be a vital vehicle of support and healing for Ukrainian patients in need.”
Carter BloodCare personnel added personal touches to the overseas-bound bus, bedecked in the yellow-and-blue colors of the Ukrainian flag and the red-white-and-blue of the Texas flag. Staffers signed the sides of the vehicle with well wishes, inspirational drawings and uplifting words of support for the people of Ukraine.
Carter BloodCare has a history of supporting Ukraine’s critical need for and management of blood resources. Last year, Carter BloodCare and fellow U.S. blood centers took part in a humanitarian initiative to secure purchase of crucial blood supplies for Ukraine. The Bedford-based nonprofit also welcomed delegates from Ukraine last fall, in an international collaboration on blood donor recruitment and management.
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.
To schedule an individual donation with Carter BloodCare, call 800-366-2834 or visit CarterBloodCare.org and click the Donate Now tab.
