Facing an increasingly unsteady blood supply, the Oklahoma Blood Institute has helped found a first-in-the-nation partnership to prepare Oklahoma for emergency situations where blood needs are high.

The Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), is comprised of seven blood centers from five states 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.

In addition to OBI, the initial blood center partners are California’s Houchin Community Blood Bank, The Community Blood Center in Wisconsin, Central Pennsylvania Blood Bank and Texas’ We Are Blood, South Texas Blood & Tissue Center and Carter BloodCare. The network is expected to expand rapidly.

“The ugly reality that COVID brought to blood collectors is a disturbing uncertainty and scarcity in the blood supply,” said Dr. John Armitage, president and CEO of Oklahoma Blood Institute. “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 Oklahoma 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 state’s primary blood supplier, OBI helped found BERC to be proactive in its emergency planning, rather than rely on an increasingly unstable back-up supply plan.

“This plan to deal with the increased need for blood following a mass casualty event will help save lives,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Lance Frye. “Preparation and response are key components to mitigating loss following any type of disaster. BERC gives us a valuable tool that will benefit Oklahomans across the state.”

When faced with a mass-need event, Armitage said, 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.

“Blood is essential in the time of a disaster,” said Battalion Chief Benny A. Fulkerson, Oklahoma City Fire Department. “By donating blood, people can give us the tools and the capabilities to get our state ready to respond to whatever may happen.”

OBI will be collecting extra blood products as part of its on-call schedule. Drive coordinators and donors will be asked to step up to a higher calling of guardianship to cover possible coast to coast needs. If no emergency situation arises, the blood products will be returned to OBI’s general inventory, to be used for local blood needs. Participating centers will rotate inventory coverage, starting on a 3 week cycle.

To donate blood, donors can make an appointment at obi.org or by calling 877-340-8777. Walk-ins are welcome.