The Community Blood Center shipped emergency blood products to Tennessee following devastating weather.
APPLETON, Wis. – The Community Blood Center (CBC) was one of the four responding blood centers that shipped blood products to Tennessee in response to the devastating tornadoes that struck several midwestern and southern states. This response came after the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), a nationwide emergency blood reserve, was activated. CBC rushed emergency blood products to Blood Assurance in Chattanooga, Tenn.to ensure it had access to a needed blood supply in support of patient transfusions in Nashville, Tenn.
CBC is one of the founding blood centers of BERC. The network is made up of 25 blood centers that prepare for emergency needs by collecting extra blood products on a rotating on-call schedule. This marks the third time BERC has been activated since its launch in September. This is the first time CBC has been on-call during an activation.
“We are grateful for all those who stepped up to donate in the days and weeks prior to this natural disaster. Blood donors helped ensure The Community Blood Center had units of blood ready to be shipped in support of this tragic event,” said John Hagins, President and CEO, The Community Blood Center. “Especially over the holiday season, we encourage those who are eligible to donate to schedule a blood donation appointment and ensure blood is available whenever and wherever it is needed.”
CBC is committed to being prepared for the expected and unexpected blood needs that may arise in our community and across the nation. It is only through the generosity of volunteer blood donors that we can ensure blood is available when disaster or emergency situations may strike. CBC asks community members who are eligible to donate to schedule an appointment by visiting communityblood.org or calling (800) 280-4102.
The Community Blood Center (CBC) was established in 1955 and continues today as an independent nonprofit providing a safe and reliable blood supply to hospitals in the Midwest. CBC has donor centers in Wisconsin (Appleton, Oshkosh, Little Chute, and Woodruff) and is opening a donor center in Chicago, Ill. in 2022. CBC hosts more than 100 blood drives every month. CBC is a member of America’s Blood Centers (ABC) and Blood Centers of America (BCA) which are networks of independent community-based, not-for-profitblood centers supporting the blood needs for approximately 60% of the United States. Blood donations collected in the Merrill area blood drives are a part of the CBC blood bank.