| Update - Disaster Requests Regarding Blood Donation | |
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On behalf of the staff of The Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas, we would like to thank the hundreds of blood donors and the individuals and local restaurants and businesses that generously donated refreshments. We have reached our capacity to process any more blood donations today thanks to the overwhelming response of people wanting to help the disaster victims by donating blood. We expect that the need for blood is going to increase over the next few weeks, so we are asking donors to come back to donate next week or the week after. Watch the news on TV or listen to the radio for information from us or call the blood hotline at 735-3333.
The Center is still on stand-by waiting to hear from the disaster sites and the National Blood Exchange who is coordinating the relief efforts of blood banks all across the country. The exact blood need for the disasters has not yet been determined, as they have not been able to assess the extent of people's injuries yet. They are also determining the disaster area's ability and capacity for blood product storage and the transportation options to get the needed blood products to the disaster victims.
As soon as the Center has any updated information regarding blood donation we will release it to our local media, post it on our website and have it on the blood hotline.
From earlier in the day:
The Blood and Tissue Center has been in communication all morning with the National Blood Exchange and the New York Blood Center. The National Blood Exchange is coordinating the efforts of all blood centers across the country and the tremendous outpouring of people wanting to donate blood. They are working with people at the two disaster sites to determine what blood products are needed and how many. They are also coordinating the transportation of the blood products to the disaster sites or nearby facilities that will be handling victims. As of right now, they have asked that people do not YET organize blood drives until the needs for blood have been determined - they do not want to have to waste blood products.
Currently at the Blood and Tissue Center, there have been so many people who have come to donate that there is at least a three-hour wait. The Center has pulled every available staff member into the Center at 4300 North Lamar Blvd to help process donors as quickly and efficiently as we can. In light of the requests from the New York Blood Center and the National Blood Exchange, we ask people to come donate blood later this week. Given the magnitude of these disasters, blood is going to be critically needed tomorrow, next week and beyond.
The Center will continue to update the community as developments occur. If you have questions regarding blood donation, please call the Center at 206-1266.
