Statewide Iowa — Blood donated by Iowans was rushed to Texas following Tuesday’s mass shooting at an elementary school that left at least 19 children and two adults dead. Another 15 children and four adults were wounded. Danielle West, spokeswoman for the Des Moines-based LifeServe Blood Center, says Iowa is answering Texas’ call for help, even though blood is very scarce here.
LifeServe is part of the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps, a coalition of more than 35 blood centers across the U.S. that have committed to collecting extra blood units on a rotating, on-call schedule. The 20 units of Iowa blood being sent to South Texas Blood & Tissue won’t mean any Iowans are denied an important surgery, but it does ratchet up the urgency.
An appeal is going out to all Iowans who are left wondering, “What can I do,” following the Texas shootings, as they can make a difference.
LifeServe is the sole supplier of blood products to 129 hospitals across Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
