Image courtesy of LIFELINE Blood Services
Facing an increasingly unsteady blood supply, Lifeline Blood Services has helped found a first-in-the-nation partnership to prepare Tennessee for emergency situations where blood needs are high. The Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC) is composed of blood centers from across the nation that have committed to collecting extra blood units on a rotating, “on call” schedule. The extra blood products will be held in reserve for any critical-need scenario, like a mass shooting or natural disaster.
“The ugly reality that COVID brought to blood collectors is a disturbing uncertainty and scarcity in the blood supply,” said Caitlin Roach, Marketing Manager of Lifeline Blood Services. “When disaster strikes, BERC will give us more confidence that the immediate transfusion needs can be met. Unfortunately, we must adapt, because we are not seeing donor awareness or response following recent high-injury events like the summer shootings in Austin, Texas (14 victims), Queens, New York (10 victims), and Collierville, TN (16 victims). BERC provides Tennessee 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 have faced widespread blood shortages in recent months, creating a severely strained national safety net for mass traumas and other high casualty disasters. As West Tennessee’s sole blood supplier, Lifeline 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, Roach 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.
“As first responders, we never know what we are going to find when we arrive at the scene of a trauma,” said Chief Eric Turner with the Madison County Fire Department. “We count on blood to be on the shelves so that when we get victims to the hospital or on an air ambulance, our healthcare workers can take over and provide blood if needed for patient care. By joining BERC, Lifeline is taking yet another step to make sure blood will be there for those in need and supporting first responders in the process.”
Lifeline will be collecting extra blood products as part of its on-call schedule. Drive coordinators and donors will be asked to step up to a higher calling of guardianship to cover possible coast to coast needs. If no emergency situation arises, the blood products will be returned to Lifeline’s general inventory, to be used for local blood needs. Participating centers will rotate inventory coverage, starting on a 3-week cycle.
To learn about donating blood, donors can call 731.427.4431 or visit lifelinebloodserv.org.
Today, Lifeline provides blood services to 20 West Tennessee counties and two regional areas, supplying 17 local hospitals and 14 air ambulances. Annually, the Center collects approximately 26,000 blood products (red cell units, platelets, plasma, etc.) to meet the needs of patients. Lifeline also provides reference lab and cross-matching services to healthcare facilities.