The center stores the red blood cell units in a walk-in refrigerator kept at approximately 1 to 6 degrees Celsius. There are also three large chest freezers that hold plasma and cryoprecipitate. The temperature in the chest freezers is at a constant negative 70 degrees Celsius.
Before shipment to bases in the theater, the center scans and logs each blood into its computer database. This is much like items scanned by a cashier at a local grocery store, Major Zwies said. This provides a tracking system for the blood to ensure it arrives to its correct destination, while maintaining the center’s inventory accountability.
The need for blood will continue to grow with each passing year, as the pool of military donors shrinks, the major said.
“Many deployed members will be ineligible to donate for up to a year upon return from their deployment,” she said. “Many people think the next person will donate, so they don’t worry about it. What we want people to remember is that everybody needs blood. The need will never end.”
That is a big reason military donors stationed at continental U.S. bases must now give more than ever, Major Lincoln said.
“This is about military helping military,” he said.
More information on the Armed Services Blood Program is available at: www.militaryblood.dod.mil.
