Carter BloodCare
Blood supply has been down for Carter BloodCare due to the COVID-19 pandemic; but after winter storms wreaked havoc on Texas in February, resulting in four straight days without a single donation, the Bedford-based nonprofit is now facing what it’s calling “the worst blood shortage in decades.”
Carter BloodCare is responsible for providing transfusion resources to more than 180 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of North, Central, and East Texas. Offering services like collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, and storage, the center estimates it delivers more than 450,000 blood products annually.
In ideal circumstances, Carter BloodCare would carry about 2,500 – 3,000 units of blood on its shelves, available for hospitals to use for procedures on patients of various blood types. But according to Veronica Moore, vice president of organizational relations, the blood center now has less than 10% of that, and “it has been like that since the snowstorm.”
“We are exhausted,” she says. “We are trying to fight this challenge every day.”
In March, Carter BloodCare CEO Dr. Merlyn Sayers addressed the shortage in a video posted to the center’s YouTube channel, saying that patients “needed a blood supply, and we could not provide it because we could not draw donors.”
“I’m not urging you to donate because your lives depend on it,” Sayers says. “I’m urging you to donate because the lives of others depend on you.”
The center is especially in need of blood donations from healthy young people, and donors can start giving blood as young as age 16, with their parents’ consent, says director of public relations Linda Goelzer.
But regardless of age, Goelzer says she hopes anyone who’s eligible will consider not just a one-time donation but regular blood donations during the year.
“If everyone who’s eligible gave two to three times a year, we would never have a shortage,” she says.
Those interested in donating blood can do so at one of Carter BloodCare’s 25 donor centers. Appointments can be scheduled online at carterbloodcare.org or by calling or texting 800-366-2834.
Three Ways to Help Carter BloodCare
1. Donate more than once. According to Carter BloodCare, donors often give blood on a recurring basis. A donor can give whole blood every 56 days, plasma every 28 days, and platelets every 14 days.
2. Spread the word. Not everyone is eligible to donate blood, and that’s OK. If you’re unable to donate, Carter BloodCare encourages spreading the word about blood donation, especially among young people — whose blood the center is currently needing the most.
3. Host a blood drive. To find out how your business or organization can host its own blood drive, email [email protected].
