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The blood bank is sending blood and plasma to Iraq to supplement the armed forces' supply, and it still needs donors.
By MARY JANE PARK
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG -- At the request of the Department of Defense, Florida Blood Services on Monday made its first shipment to the military effort in Iraq.
The blood went by Federal Express to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. From there, it will be sent overseas.
J.B. Gaskins, vice president of donor recruitment and donor services, said the request doesn't mean there has been a significant increase in casualties.
"As the battles intensify, and the focus is more on the battlefield," the intent is to "make sure there is a backflow of blood to supplement the armed services blood program," Gaskins said.
Military donors and their dependents have been stockpiling blood and blood components such as plasma. Gaskins said the additional shipments are "part of their preparedness" to make sure the injured are cared for.
"In the event that there is a need for blood, you can't wait," he said.
FBS is one of six "hub centers" in the nation that provides blood for military support during wartime.
On Friday, the armed forces asked for O-negative blood and AB plasma from the national office of America's Blood Centers in Washington, which then alerted FBS and the other hubs. O-negative blood and AB plasma are "universal" types used in trauma cases.
FBS has a one- to three-day supply of most blood types, Gaskins said.
To fulfill the military request while maintaining a safe and adequate supply for the Tampa Bay area, O-negative blood donors and AB plasma donors are especially needed, he said.
Gaskins asked that potential donors make appointments.
FBS plans additional military shipments later this week and early next week, he said.
The Department of Defense has ordered that no information be released about the number of units shipped.
No additional precautions are required for the collection of blood and plasma sent to the military.
"We take the exact same procedures for every unit of blood," Gaskins said. "There is no guarantee that that blood (donation) is going to go over (to Iraq). It is going to go to help somebody."
World War II veterans, long the most consistent donors, are dying at the rate of between 1,200 and 1,500 a day, Gaskins said. "That was the stable of our blood supply."
To make an appointment to donate blood or plasma, call 1-800-682-5663.
For more information, try www.fbsblood.org, or www.americasblood.org.