Health care
BY MICHAEL MILLIORN
We Are Blood expands care
The details
Current donation centers: 1 Round Rock Donation Center 2 Cedar Park Donation Center 3 Austin Donation Center 4 South Austin Donation Center Upcoming donation centers: 5 Kyle Donation Center
The organization currently operates four dona- tion centers and plans to add two more, as detailed in the “Every Drop Counts” plan. A center in Kyle is scheduled to open this summer, and a sixth location will be developed before 2030. Establishing new donor centers increases acces- sibility and convenience for community members wishing to donate blood, Canedo said. The organization will increase the number of mobile blood collection buses in its eet to expand opportunities for communities not located near a donation center. Mobile donations represent approximately 40%-45% of We Are Blood’s collec- tions, Canedo said. The strategic plan outlines the launch of addi- tional programs, including: • The region’s rst Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant Program, in partnership with Dell Children’s Medical Center • In-house molecular testing capabilities • New leadership development programs and recruitment strategies
We Are Blood, the sole nonpro it blood center in Central Texas, unveiled its multiyear strategic plan Feb. 3. The Every Drop Counts plan aims to expand Austin- area donation centers, grow its mobile fleet and strengthen emergency response capabilities through 2030 as demand for blood products continues to rise. We Are Blood supplies every hospital, clinic and EMS agency performing blood transfusions across 10 counties in Central Texas with blood products. “When a patient needs a blood transfusion in our community, they’re relying on We Are Blood donors who are visiting us at our donor center or mobile blood drives,” said Nick Canedo, We Are Blood vice president of community engagement. “Over the past decade, we have seen a signi icant increase in the need for our services.”
183
Round Rock
1
2
45 TOLL
Cedar Park
35
620
Austin
360
3
71
MOPAC
130 TOLL
290
4
71
183
45 TOLL
35
45 TOLL
Kyle
5
MAP NOT TO SCALE N
The impact
insights from We Are Blood sta surveys, organi- zational leaders, and hospital and EMS partners. “We want to make blood donation convenient and accessible, and create more opportunities than ever before,” Canedo said. “We hope that what we see as a result of the growth that we’re undertak- ing is that more individuals nd it convenient to be able to donate blood and are inspired to give.”
We Are Blood will establish a second processing center to help prevent delays if a natural disaster or event impacts operation at the current center. The “Every Drop Counts” plan is expected to increase the speed of blood product delivery to medical partners, improve overall patient care and address local blood supply shortages. The plan was developed utilizing feedback and
Donors must be in good health and at least 17 years old to donate.
COURTESY WE ARE BLOOD
The four key elements of the mass casualty incident blood distribution plan:
Looking forward
donations,” Canedo said. The increase in demand has been driven by population growth, developed hospitals and expanded EMS programs. We Are Blood has partnered with Austin- Travis County EMS to implement a blood distribution plan for mass casualty incidents. The plan strengthens the region’s ability to respond to large-scale emergencies and helps patients receive transfusions quickly.
The organization projects a 25% increase in the demand for products across Central Texas by 2030. Since 2015, We Are Blood has seen a 96% increase in platelet donations and a 55% increase in red blood cell donations at local hospitals. “We saw a need to develop a long-term plan that was going to really ensure that we’re growing our operations, growing our footprint and our ability to collect
Activation: ATCEMS noti es We Are Blood of the mass casualty.
Rapid staging: We Are Blood prepares for transfusions.
Field deployment: ATCEMS gets units from the blood bank.
On-scene management: An o cer oversees blood distribution.
SOURCE: WE ARE BLOOD COMMUNITY IMPACT
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PFLUGERVILLE HUTTO EDITION
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