URGENT NEED FOR BLOOD DONATIONS!
Help TBC provide enough blood for local hospitals through the summer season.
We need your help now to avoid a blood shortage!
THE CAROLINAS AND GEORGIA – (December 2, 2021) Facing an increasingly unsteady blood supply, The Blood Connection has helped establish a first-in-the-nation partnership to prepare The Carolinas and Georgia for emergency situations where blood needs are high.
The Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC) is composed of blood centers from across the nation that have committed to collecting extra blood units on a rotating, “on call” schedule. The extra blood products will be held in reserve for any critical-need scenario, like a mass shooting or natural disaster.
The BERC was activated on Nov. 30, in response to a school shooting in Oxford Township, Michigan. Three “on call” blood centers sent extra blood units to Versiti – the blood center that serves the area – to meet the immediate medical needs of the eight remaining victims.
“Situations like these are exactly why BERC was formed,” said Dr. John Armitage, president and CEO of Oklahoma Blood Institute. “When the blood needs are great and immediate after tragic events like this, we can act swiftly and decisively to ensure patients have access to the blood products they need.”
The Blood Connection will host three press conferences across its regions to discuss its participation in the BERC:
“The ugly reality that COVID brought to blood collectors is a disturbing uncertainty and scarcity in the blood supply,” said Delisa English, CEO of The Blood Connection. “When disaster strikes, BERC will give us more confidence that the immediate transfusion needs can be met. Unfortunately, we must adapt, because we are not seeing donor awareness or response following recent high-injury events like the summer shootings in Austin, Texas (14 victims) and Queens, New York (10 victims). BERC provides the areas we serve, and our partner states, a ready-to-go supply of blood to fill the holes appearing in our disaster response fabric.”
The nation’s blood centers have faced widespread blood shortages in recent months, creating a severely strained national safety net for mass traumas and other high casualty disasters. As the blood provider for more than 80 hospitals across the Carolinas and Georgia, The Blood Connection is participating in the BERC to be proactive in its emergency planning, rather than rely on an increasingly unstable back-up supply plan when hospital patients are in need. Whether there is an emergency or not, blood donors are continuously needed for keeping the blood supply stable for local hospitals.
When faced with a mass-need event, blood centers across the country have relied on patchwork pleas for additional blood resources. States that had extra blood on hand might send units, but there was nothing that a blood center could count on other than undefined goodwill. With BERC, partner blood centers will know exactly how much emergency blood is available and where it will come from.
The Blood Connection will be collecting extra blood products as part of its on-call schedule. Participating centers will rotate inventory coverage, starting on a 3-week cycle. Drive coordinators and donors will be asked to step up to a higher calling of guardianship to cover possible coast to coast needs. Local hospital needs will always be prioritized. If no emergency arises, the blood products will be returned to The Blood Connection’s general inventory.
To find opportunities to donate blood, donors can make an appointment by going to thebloodconnection.org/donate or by calling 864-255-5000.
The Blood Connection is partnering with the University of South Carolina to give Columbia donors an opportunity to give local. The temporary fixed site is located inside the Center for Health and Well Being, in room 217.
Steve Harrell is a true example of what commitment looks like. As a U.S. Army Veteran, he knows a thing or two about dedication and service. And now he’s on a mission to donate blood in every state. On the surface you may think, ok…that’s doable. That’s just donating 50 times right? But the whole thing will take about 7 years! Not your typical road trip… But nonetheless, Harrell hopped into his trusty RV and took off on a journey riding all over the nation, saving local lives along the way.
“You might be walking down the street one day and that person right there…you may have saved his or her life,” said Harrell.
Harrell clearly has a servant’s heart. Now retired, he says he’s driven by his passion to give back to the communities that make up the great nation he served in the Army. And on one of the most patriotic days of the year, Veteran’s Day, Harrell landed in Arden, NC to donate blood at the TBC donation center there. His goal to only give to community blood centers is what led him to TBC.
“If you want to be a hero…you can do that right here at home,” Harrell told TBC. “People that give blood are heroes too, they’re saving lives every time they donate.”
With the help of TBC, Harrell checked the 10th state off his list: North Carolina. He donated again in January with TBC in South Carolina to check the box for state #11, as one of the first donors to give at the new North Charleston Donation Center. The Jacksonville, Florida native spends his time between donations getting to know veterans in the community, since he can only give blood every 56 days.
TBC is honored to be a part of Harrell’s mission. Because of that inspiration, TBC vowed to give $10 for each center donor who gave on Veterans Day to the Wounded Warrior Program, an organization that works with local companies to hire veterans. Thanks to donors who gave on 11/11 like Harrell, TBC plans to donate $3,380 to the organization!
To those who have served, thank you. To our blood donors, thank you. To Steve Harrell, thank you for including TBC in your mission. Our communities are better because of all of you!
Each blood donation has the power to save up to three lives. Together as a community, help show these local heroes and their families that we support them too.
When donors give local with The Blood Connection, it stays local. TBC is the primary blood provider for local hospitals, which means when anyone there needs blood, TBC supplies it. While trauma is the most obvious reason for blood usage, cancer patients are usually the number one recipients of blood products. Donations are also needed for burn victims, premature infants, surgeries, and those with blood disorders, to name a few. When community members share blood, healing happens, and families remain whole.
Blood donors must be healthy, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be 17 years old or 16 with written parental consent. Our centers are open Monday-Friday 7am-7pm and Saturday-Sunday 7am-5pm. Click here to make an appointment or to call a specific center.
If you’re a Moe’s fan, you’ve probably heard of Mo Monday (the best day of the week, are we right?) Well TBC is making Mo Mondays even better! Donate blood with The Blood Connection and you’ll get your fave Moe’s meal for FREE, 2 weeks in a row. We’re not kidding.
For the entire month of September, TBC and Moe’s Southwest Grill are working together to getting people fired up about blood donation. Partnerships like this are essential to the community’s blood supply. Moe’s enthusiasm to partner with TBC has helped the blood center reach new donors and save more lives! That just goes to show that teamwork really does make the dream work.
The Give Mo’ Get Moe’s promotion runs September 9th – September 30th. Donors who give blood at any TBC center on any Monday in September will receive a $20 Moe’s gift card! To find a center near you, click here.
On September 23rd, 11 Moe’s locations will host a blood mobile for a collective blood drive from 4-8 P.M. Blood donors will receive a $20 Moe’s gift card there too. After donating, walk right into your local Moe’s and enjoy a free dinner, a thank you for spicing up/saving someone’s life!
449 East Main Street | Spartanburg, SC |
6005 Wade Hampton Blvd, # A | Taylors, SC |
500 Haywood Rd | Greenville, SC |
3144 N Main St | Anderson, SC |
360 Merrimon Ave | Asheville, NC |
168 Shenstone Blvd | Garner, NC |
10760 Wakefield Commons Dr | Raleigh, NC |
1410 E Broad St | Fuquay-Varina, NC |
Belle Hall: 612-A Long Point Rd | Mt Pleasant, SC |
9514 Dorchester Rd #106 | Charleston, SC |
214 Azalea Square Blvd | Summerville, SC |
The Moe’s promotion at TBC donation centers will be held on 09/09, 09/16, 09/23, 09/30. Donor gifts are while supplies last. Mobile drives are only on 09/23.
When donors give blood with The Blood Connection, it stays local. TBC is the primary blood provider for local hospitals, which means when anyone there needs blood, TBC supplies it. While trauma is the most obvious reason for blood usage, cancer patients are usually the number one recipients of blood products. Donations are also needed for burn victims, premature infants, surgeries, and those with blood disorders, to name a few. When community members share blood, healing happens, and families remain whole.
Blood donors must be healthy, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be 17 years old or 16 with written parental consent. Our centers are open Monday-Friday 7am-7pm and Saturday-Sunday 7am-5pm. Click here to make an appointment or to call a specific center.
SpiritFest is making waves in Greenville, SC September 1st at 5PM at the Bon Secours Arena!
The Blood Connection is giving blood donors the chance to sponsor a youth to go to SpiritFest! Change a life and save one, at the same time.
The demand for blood never stops. That’s why our blood donors are essential to saving lives. Be the difference for someone in your community! Sickle cell patients especially rely on blood donations every day from the minority population. It’s important to know about the disease and how you can help. Read this article to learn more.
Blood donors must be healthy, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be 17 years old or 16 with written parental consent. Donors must bring a valid photo ID or Donor ID.
There’s never been a better time to stop by your local Outback Steakhouse! And The Blood Connection is giving you an easy way to eat for FREE.
TBC and Outback Steakhouse are working together to spread the word about blood donation. Partnerships like this are essential to the community’s blood supply. Outback Steakhouse’s enthusiasm to partner with TBC to host blood drives has helped TBC reach new donors and save more lives!
On November 8 & 11, 2021, select Outback Steakhouse locations in the Carolinas will host The Blood Connection for a collective blood drive. Blood donors will receive a $20 Outback gift card and free Bloomin’ Onion. After donating, donors can walk right in and enjoy a free dinner at Outback, a ‘thank you’ for saving lives!
Click on the Location Name to make an appointment.
Cary |
901 Walnut St. |
Durham |
3500 Mount Moriah Rd. |
Garner |
845 US Hwy. 70 W. |
Goldsboro |
2617 N Park Dr |
Asheville |
30 Tunnel Rd. |
New Bern |
111 Howell Rd. |
Raleigh |
7500 Creedmoor Rd. |
Smithfield |
911 Outlet Center Dr |
Charlotte |
1412 E Boulevard Suite A |
Matthews |
9623 East Independence Blvd. |
Hickory |
1435 13th Avenue Drive Southeast |
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Florence |
110 Dunbarton Drive |
West Myrtle Beach |
4650 Factory Stores Blvd |
Mt. Pleasant |
715 Johnnie Dobbs Blvd |
North Myrtle Beach |
1721 Highway 17 North |
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