TMC PULSE

T M C » P U L S E | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 21 "It's the blood on the shelf that saves lives. We need the blood to be donated before events occur," said Ruth Sylvester, who directs regulatory services for America's Blood Centers and is the liaison to a national interorga- nizational task force on domestic disasters and terrorism. "Hurricanes interfere with collection. When hurricanes are coming, people are busy: They're boarding up their houses and evacuating. They're not thinking about the fact that we still need blood products, but people are still bleeding, people still need chemotherapy and they still need their platelets regardless of a hurricane—and platelets only last five days." Harvey's flooding posed a unique dilemma for those attempting to supplement the dwindling blood supply in Houston during and after the storm. "We could get it there—we had plenty waiting in Dallas and in Shreveport—but the problem was actually getting it where it needed to go because you needed a high-water vehicle," Sylvester said. "And then, once it got there, getting it that last couple of miles right there to the hospitals in Houston was the biggest challenge." In a late August 2017 news release, America's Blood Centers stated that Harvey "and its associated flooding" were impacting the nation's blood supply and urged eligible donors—current and first-time—"to make and keep donation appointments as soon as possible." That's because blood drives had been canceled across Southeast Texas, placing more demand on blood collection agencies nationwide to "ensure a sufficient blood supply in storm-affected areas" to meet the needs of patients. "People turn out in droves after an event happens. The media shows all these long lines, but that's too late. The people that needed the blood? They needed it there. If the blood is there on the shelf, we can get it where it needs to go," Sylvester explained. "We have this huge dry spell during the summer. The same thing happens at the holi- days because everybody's busy. And in January, they're all sick, so that's the other low point in the blood supply." Earlier this year, America's Blood Centers also addressed the issue of disaster preparedness with Congress. In a March 2018 statement to the U.S. House of Representatives' Homeland Security Committee for a hearing on the lessons learned from 2017 disasters, the organization noted that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency now have recognized that blood centers are essen- tial to emergency preparedness and should be prioritized. Overflow of donations At Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center headquarters this summer, workers were busy. Some labeled components, placed sorted blood products on shelves and loaded sealed bags in centrifuges, while others hoisted Igloo and Yeti coolers with incoming donations and gathered outgoing items requested by hospitals. Almost miraculously, an unexpected overflow of dona- tions came in late June from among the 30,000 Lutheran youth convening at Houston's NRG Park, across the fence from the blood center's main office. In one day, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's triennial Youth Gathering provided 300 donations. Usually, 100 donations would represent nine or 10 collection sites. "The need is constant for blood. It's not just during tragedies or disasters. People need blood every day for surgeries and cancer treatments, burn victims, even pregnancies," Buckley said. "That's why we ask people to commit for life and donate as often as they can." DONATING BLOOD Visit giveblood.org or call 888-482-5663 for more details on eligibility, donor centers and blood drives. Facing page: Component lab technician Elizabeth Scott prepares blood products for a spin in the centrifuge at Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. Lower left: Newly received blood donations are checked into Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. Lower right: Component lab technician Jamaal Jones prepares blood product bags at Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. 2 seconds lapse before someone in the United States needs blood — 3 lives can be saved by 1 pint of blood — 10 percent of the eligible blood donation population gives at least once annually — 15 million pints of blood are transfused annually in the United States Sources: Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, America's Blood Centers BLOOD DONATION BY THE NUMBERS

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