Blood is an essential treatment for trauma and is also needed to meet the chronic needs of over 5,000 U.S. patients a day.  In the U.S., blood is typically collected, processed, and stored at regional not-for-profit blood centers and is distributed to the community hospitals on a daily or weekly basis.

In some cases, the blood center may be located away from the hospital it supplies, thus creating a set of logistical challenges during a disaster that impacts the local infrastructure (e.g., road damage, power outage, communication outage). 

Our attention must be to maintain an adequate blood supply that can be delivered to patients in all affected disaster areas.

Are there blood shortages?  Yes, but…

1. They are short in duration, are local/regional and are seasonal
2. Disasters (all hazards) do not require a large amount of blood

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• Employees
• Community Hospitals

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