EUGENE, Ore. - Bloodworks Northwest is teaming up with other blood centers across the U.S. to support relief efforts following the shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
They recently joined 30 other blood centers across the country to form a nationwide emergency shipment group.
Earlier this month, Bloodworks joined the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps, a first-in-the-nation partnership that allows local blood suppliers to ship emergency units to mass transfusion events like mass shootings.
The Blood Emergency Readiness Corps has already sent 30 units of blood to Uvalde Memorial Hospital to help the victims in this shooting.
Bloodworks Northwest says the group makes sure the essential supply is ready whenever disaster strikes.
"When a mass event happens like the shooting in Texas, we all decided that we are going to get together and support each other by having a reserved inventory of blood on a rotating basis, so that if a blood center needed blood and didn't have enough, then other blood centers can help out that center," said Mark Smith, Bloodworks Northwest Community Engagement Liason.
Bloodworks Northwest plans to store extra units of O negative and O positive blood on a rotating "on-call" schedule for immediate emergency need beginning in June.
If the extra units aren't used, the units will be put back into the local inventory for distribution.
Bloodworks in Eugene currently supplies 100% of the blood to hospitals here in Lane County, but soon they will start sending emergency shipments to other hospitals across the country.
And they say they're in desperate need of supply.
According to Bloodworks, 50% of all blood types in our area are at 24 hour supply, emergency levels.
That impacts about 81% of people in Lane County.
According to Bloodworks, in Washington and Oregon, 1,000 donors a day are needed to keep the blood supply at a safe and reliable level.
"A lot of people will say 'How can I help out? I feel so useless. There was a horrible tragedy, how can I help out?'" One way that they can help out in a very tangible way is to make an appointment and donate blood because that blood can go directly to a shooting victim or a victim of another tragedy like that," said Smith.
Bloodworks Northwest added that every two seconds, someone in the Pacific Northwest needs blood.
And with Memorial Day and summer coming up, they say they need blood now more than ever.
You can book an appointment online here or by calling 1-800-398-7888.
Same day appointments are available and special appointments have been reserved for Type O donors during this critical time.