TRAVEL IS NOT RESTRICTED. BUSINESSES ARE NOT CLOSED BUT WORKING FROM
HOME
IS ENCOURAGED.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: AND WE’VE
SHOWED YOU SOME OF THE WAYS
THAT PEOPLE ARE PITCHING IN
TO HELP IN OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT ONE THING ALMOST ANYONE CAN
DO IS GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE
BLOOD DONATIONS ARE CRITICALLY
LOW.
>> BLOOD DRIVES HAVE BEEN GOING
ON TO HELP ALLEVIATE THE
PROBLEM. WE EVEN HAVE A BLOOD
DRIVE SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW,
YEAH THAT ONE IS BY APPOINTMENT
ONLY AND IT FILLED UP FAST, BUT
THE NEED FOR BLOOD IS AND WILL
BE AN
ONGOING CONCERN.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: SO WE
WANTED TO BRING IN DEBRA SERNA
THE SENIOR LABORATORY MANAGER
FROM UNIVERSITY
HEALTH SYSTEMS TO TALK ABOUT
THE NEED FOR BLOOD AND HOW WE
CAN ALL HELP WHETHER THERE’S A
BLOOD DRIVE GOING ON
OR NOT DENVER YOU’VE BEEN WITH
YOU A CHANCE FOR 10 YEARS YOU
MANAGE BLOOD DONOR SERVICES IN
THE LAB THERE.
HOW GREAT IS THE NEED RIGHT NOW
AND HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THIS BEFORE.
>> YEAH, I’VE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE IN MY
10 YEARS HERE AND THIS IS
DEFINITELY AN
PRECEDENT IT AND THE NEED IS
EXTREMELY WE ARE SHORT HUNDREDS
OF UNITS
JUST TODAY AND SO WE’RE
MONITORING OUR LEVELS DAILY AND
SOMETIMES HOURLY TO MAKE SURE
WE HAVE ENOUGH FOR PATIENTS.
>> DEBORAH, YOU KNOW WE TALKED
ABOUT THE BLOOD DRIVE THAT WE
HAVE WITH YOU GUYS TOMORROW,
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SAFETY
MEASURES THAT ARE GOING TO BE
IN PLACE WHEN FOLKS GOING TO
DONATE NOT JUST FOR THIS DRIVE,
BUT
YOU KNOW I MEAN IT WITH ANYONE
THAT WE HAVE COMING DOWN THE
FUTURE IN TERMS OF SOCIAL
DISTANCING AND THINGS
LIKE THAT.
>> YES, DEFINITELY WE WANT TO
ASSURE EVERYONE THAT WE’RE
DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO
MINIMIZE THE RISK FOR SPREAD OF
THE VIRUS. WE ARE DOING
SOCIAL DISTANCING.
WE ARE UTILIZING THE
APPOINTMENT ONLY SO THAT’S WHY
WE
ASKED THAT WE HAVE YOU MAKE THE
APPOINTMENT AND KEEP THE
APPOINTMENT SO THAT WE CAN
CONTINUE WITH THAT DONOR FLOW
AND MAKE SURE IT DOESN’T YOU
KNOW PREVENTS CROWDING.
>> IT IS THERE.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: CONCERNED ABOUT WRISTS WITH THE CORONAVIRUS COMING THROUGH THE
BLOOD, I MEAN I WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE’RE VERY CLEAR
ABOUT THE
FACT THAT THERE’S BEEN NO
DOCUMENTATION THAT OUT THAT’S
HOW ANY OF THIS IS SPREAD RIGHT
NOW.
>> CORRECT WE DON’T HAVE ANY.
THERE’S NO EVIDENCE THAT IT IS
SPREAD
THROUGH BLOOD. BUT WE DO ASK
THAT ARE DONORS BE HEALTHY AND
THAT’S WHAT WE DO SCREEN FOR
TEMPERATURE PHYSICAL AND OUR
USUAL
SCREENING PROCESSES.
>> DEBORAH AND O NEGATIVE.
I BELIEVE IS THE UNIVERSAL
BLOOD TYPE IS THAT STILL WHAT’S
MOST IN NEED RIGHT NOW ERS ARE
SPECIFIC OTHER TYPE OF BLOOD
TYPE THAT YOU’RE YOU’RE PUTTING
OUT A
CALL FOR.
>> WE ACTUALLY NEED ALL TYPES
SO ALL TYPES
ARE WELCOME BECAUSE OF THE
SHORTAGE WE’VE SEEN ACROSS THE
BOARD ALL TYPES THAT WE NEED
BLOOD FROM.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: WHAT IS THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM
AND THE SOUTH TEXAS BLOOD
TISSUE CENTER WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT TO DO DIFFERENT ENTITIES
HERE CORRECT.
>> CORRECT. SO UNIVERSITY
HEALTH SYSTEM WE ONLY COLLECT
FOR OUR PATIENTS HERE AT
THE HOSPITAL AND SO WE DON’T
CENTER BLOOD ANYWHERE ELSE SO
ANY BLOOD COLLECTED BY OUR
DONOR SERVICES IS USE HERE IN
THE HOSPITAL FOR PATIENTS.
WE DO COLLABORATE WITH THE
SOUTH TEXAS BLOOD AND TISSUE
CENTER SO AND ESPECIALLY AT
THIS TIME WHEN BLOOD IS REALLY
CRITICAL. LOW.
WE ASK THAT YOU EITHER COME TO
US OR DEFINITELY VISIT SOUTH
TEXAS BLOOD AND TISSUE CENTER
AND GET ONE OTHER LOCATIONS
THEY’RE RIGHT BECAUSE RIGHT NOW
IT’S A WEEK.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: THE NEED IS
SO GREAT
IT DOESN’T YOU KNOW REALLY CARE
WHERE PEOPLE GIVE JUST THAT
THEY DEFINITELY KNOW IF YOU’RE
HEALTHY AND ELIGIBLE TO DONATE
PLEASE TRY TO HELP US DURING
THIS TIME. SO I I GAVE BLOOD
ON SUNDAY. AND I THINK SOME OF
THE QUESTIONS THAT I GOT WERE
PEOPLE WERE ASKING ME IF YOU
HAVE DIABETES CAN YOU
STILL GIVE.
>> IT DEPENDS ON THE TYPE OF
MEDICATION THAT YOU’RE ON FOR
DIABETICS AND THEN ALSO IF YOU
DONATED BEFORE. WE DON’T WANT
TO CAUSE YOU TO HAVE ANY HEALTH
ISSUES
BY DONATING.
>> NOW DENVER WE’VE BEEN
MENTIONING THAT THE BLOOD
SHORTAGE IS LOW A LOT OF
CANCELLATIONS FOR BLOOD DRIVES
HAVE BEEN AS WE’VE SEEN THIS
COVID 19 CRISIS
PLAY OUT. HOW BIG EXACTLY IS
THE DROP IS THERE A WAY TO
QUANTUM WANT TO FIND OUT FOR
US.
>> IT’S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT JUST
BECAUSE WE USUALLY HAVE
UNITS AT LEAST HUNDREDS OF
UNITS COMING IN PER DAY THAT WE
CAN UTILIZE AND SO A LOT
OF OUR UNITS ARE BEING USED AND
SO IF WE’RE IN A
POSITION WHERE WE HAVE A TRAUMA
THAT HAS TO USE MANY UNITS
OF BLOOD WHERE WE’RE GOING TO
BE IN A LOT OF TROUBLE SO WE
WANT TO MAKE SURE TO GET
AS MANY DONORS AS WE CAN TO
MAKE SURE THEIR INVENTORY STAYS
AT A
GOOD LEVEL.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: AND I WANT
TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE SEE AT THE
BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN. IT’S
DONATE BLOOD TODAY DOT COM.
2, 1, 0, 3, 5, 8, 2812 FOR MORE
INFORMATION.
>> IS THERE.
>> ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD SAY
TO SOMEBODY WHO’S ON THE FENCE ABOUT GIVING BLOOD OR WHO’S MAYBE NEVER GIVEN BLOOD BEFORE
IN THEIR LIFE WHAT WOULD YOU
TELL THEM.
>> WELL DEFINITELY NOW IS THE
TIME EVEN IF YOU JUST TRY JUST
TRY TO DONATE NOT EVERYONE CAN
DONATE BECAUSE OF HEALTH
REASONS OR MAYBE EVEN TRAVEL.
BUT AT THIS TIME IS THE BEST
TIME TO COME IN AND AT LEAST
TRY AND WE’RE ASKING PEOPLE
JUST TO GET UP THE COURAGE AND
KNOW IT IT CAN BE A LITTLE BIT
SCARY BUT WE’RE DEFINITELY IN
NEED OF IT RIGHT NOW
IF ANY.
>> STEVE SPRIESTER: YEAH IT
JUST BECAUSE WE’RE FULL
TOMORROW DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU
CAN’T GIVE AT OTHER LOCATIONS
WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY HEALTH
SYSTEM OR SOUTH TEXAS BLOOD
TISSUE CENTER WHERE EVER YOU
GIVE THEY’RE VERY GRATEFUL THAT
IT HAPPENS STEPPER SERNA THANK
YOU AND BY
THE WAY IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS
ABOUT GIVING BLOOD OR THE BLOOD
SUPPLY OR WHAT HAPPENS.
DENVER IS GOING TO BE BACK IN
JOINING US ONLINE AT KSAT NEWS
AT 9 AND SHE’S GOING TO BE
TAKING.
VIEWER QUESTIONS. SO IF YOU GO
TO OUR WEBSITE OR AS A CUE
SECTION WE WOULD LOVE TO GET
YOUR QUESTIONS WE’RE SENDING TO
OUR E-MAIL CALL
OUR DESK THERE THEY LOVE WHEN I
SAY THAT CALLER DESK OF BIG