Published by Kirby Winn on Thursday, October 10, 2024 in News Releases
![packing RBCs for Suncoast Blood Centers]()
The Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC) has been activated in response to blood inventory needs in Florida following the impact of Hurricane Milton on the region’s blood supply. Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane at Siesta Key, Florida on the evening of Wednesday, October 9 and moved across the state through the early morning hours of Thursday, October 10. The storm has caused widespread damage, power outages, and cancellation of blood drives and missed donation appointments across the region.
ImpactLife is among the blood centers currently "on call" for BERC and is now shipping type O-positive and O-negative red blood cells to SunCoast Blood Centers, based in Sarasota. Shipments from BERC members across the country will help ensure patient needs in the region are met as SunCoast Blood Centers works to recover from the storm’s impact on blood donation.
Red Blood Cells shipping to Florida (download photos)
BERC graphics available for download
Additional donors are needed in our region to help ensure the blood center's ability to meet local needs and support blood inventory in the region affected by Hurricane Milton. To schedule an appointment for donation, call (800) 747-5401, text 999-777, or schedule online at bloodcenter.org, or via the Blood Center's mobile app (www.bloodcenter.org/app).
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ImpactLife Donor Rewards (October 1-31, 2024)
All presenting donors will receive a voucher to redeem for an electronic gift card, bonus points to use in the Donor Rewards Store, or an equivalent value donation to support food banks in the ImpactLife service region of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin (see www.bloodcenter.org/goodgiving). The value of each depends on the donor's planned donation procedure and location.
Register to give at a DONOR CENTER
- WHOLE BLOOD - $20 gift card or $20 donation OR 1,000 points
- DOUBLE REDS - $25 gift card or $25 donation OR 1,500 points
- 3+ TIME PLATELETS - $25 gift card OR $25 donation or 1,500 points
- 1st & 2nd TIME PLATELETS) - $50 gift card OR $50 donation OR 3,000 points
Register to give at a MOBILE BLOOD DRIVE
- WHOLE BLOOD - $10 gift card or $10 donation OR 500 points
- DOUBLE REDS - $25 gift card or $25 donation OR 1,500 points
- 3+ TIME PLATELETS - $25 gift card OR $25 donation or 1,500 points
- 1st & 2nd TIME PLATELETS) - $50 gift card OR $50 donation OR 3,000 points
To learn more about ImpactLife donor promotions, see www.bloodcenter.org/now.
About Blood Emergency Readiness Corps
The Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), a collaborative effort of 37 community blood centers, was founded in 2021 to help blood providers meet immediate transfusion needs when faced with a large-scale emergency. Through BERC, participating blood centers from across the United States have joined forces to prepare for mass transfusion disasters, ensuring their ability to meet emerging needs without delay or uncertainty.
To see a list of participating blood centers and to learn about recent BERC activations, visit www.bloodemergencyreadinesscorps.org.
Members of BERC rotate into on call status once every three weeks, reserving units of type O-positive and type O-negative red blood cells for emergency release in a BERC activation. This week’s activation marks the ninth time since its inception in September 2021 that the BERC Network has been called upon to provide blood during a national emergency.
About ImpactLife
ImpactLife's mission is to save lives by engaging donors, supporting partners, and advancing medicine. Founded in 1974, ImpactLife supplies blood products and services to hundreds of hospitals, emergency services organizations, clinical researchers, and other blood centers throughout Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri. The nonprofit blood provider is ranked among the leading 12 blood suppliers in the United States by collection volume. For more information on current blood inventory levels, our donor promotions, and more, see www.bloodcenter.org and find us @impactlifeblood on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
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