On Friday, June 16, the national Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC) was activated to send needed blood to the hospitals in and around Perryton, Texas, scene of Thursday’s tornados that swept through the town and claimed at least three lives and left dozens more injured.

BERC is a group of 36 blood centers from across the nation who commit to preparing for mass transfusion disasters by collecting extra units for an emergency reserve. This reserve is available immediately when disaster strikes, so responses can be immediate. LifeServe Blood Center is prepared to support areas in emergency situations as part of the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps.

“Our BERC Network was activated to help our partner blood center, Our Blood Institute at Coffee Memorial Blood Center, meet the need of trauma patients at the local hospital in Perryton, Texas and those transported to Amarillo, Texas,” said Nelson Hellwig, CEO of the Alliance for Community Transfusion Services and Administrator of the BERC Program.

This week’s activation marks the fifth time since its inception in September 2021 that the BERC Network has been called upon to provide blood during a national emergency. LifeServe Blood Center has been activated once through BERC.

“There are no words to express how deeply saddened we are about the loss of lives and the many injured,” said Dr. John Armitage, President and CEO of Our Blood Institute at Coffee Memorial Blood Center. “Because of BERC and its support from wonderful donors across the country, we can help the people of Perryton in a moment of crisis. Times like these remind us of why we continuously urge our community to donate blood.”

LifeServe Blood Center is on-call every three weeks to help if needed. When on-call, LifeServe sets aside units of type O positive and O negative blood for possible deployment through BERC. If the units are not used, they return to regular inventory for local distribution.  

“Our mission is to save lives locally, but in times of national crisis our donors are eager to help,” West said. “Being a member of BERC creates that opportunity. If local donors want to help, we ask that you donate as soon as you can.”