Online Suppliers Of Blood Products Prime To Save Lives When Mass Tragedy Hits

Following the mass shooting in Orlando earlier this month, the need for blood and blood donations rose tremendously and people responded in full force.

Orlando’s OneBlood donation center made a call to action for people to donate O Neg, O Pos and AB Plasma and so many people responded that “the organizations website crashed, and the voice mailbox is full,” reported CNN.

After the tragedy, OneBlood made maximum efforts on social media to get people to show up and donate blood and plasma. To handle all of the traffic that came through the blood center, multiple blood buses were set up throughout Orlando, in addition to the ten permanent locations that people could visit.

Donating blood at your typical blood donation center has been the primary way for hospitals and clinics to receive the blood products they need. The process of showing up in person to donate blood will not likely change, but what if there were a more efficient way to transport mass quantities of blood across state lines in times of emergency? What if there were somewhere that hospitals and emergency responders could directly and quickly order mass quantities of blood products from blood centers. Or possibly even more importantly, what if there were a place where these first responders could obtain rare blood supplies in an emergency, whether or not it was available nearby?

Online suppliers of blood products and biologics are generally unheard of where the average person is concerned, but they can be a very helpful resource in many instances, like in Orlando recently, where blood was needed fast and in large supply. With the help of an online blood supplier, the need for people to show up at a donation center becomes more about replenishment than about saving lives on the fly. Hospitals could go online and order blood that is safe, tested, quality controlled, and from a reputable blood center, and have it rush delivered to the site of distress from virtually anywhere in the world, in a fraction of the time it may take to obtain from limited nearby sources. This does not eliminate the need for people to donate after a tragic event, but it helps alleviate the rush and stress on the system by being able to order blood online to suffice their needs.

BioMarketplace.com’s BIO Blood Exchange is an online marketplace that connects industry-leading blood centers with emergency first responders in order to quickly deliver life-saving blood supplies where and when they are needed most. The marketplace is safe, users are vetted ahead of time – before disaster strikes - and members are able to directly interact with the centers they order from, allowing for working relationships an report to be established ahead of disasters. An order can be placed in a matter of minutes and shipped overnight if the supplier provides this option. A service like this could be beneficial to any city after a tragedy – whether natural or otherwise.
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Time and supply are major factors that come into play during the aftermath of tragic disasters. People need blood quickly and often in large amounts. Donor turnout rates are often escalated during these times, with people responding and choosing to donate to help others, but online blood suppliers can provide the much needed supply in a short amount of time, which new donations still must go through a rigorous testing and quality control process. BioMarketplace is a perfect example of the connection that can be made between blood centers, hospitals, and other first responders - a place where transporting a sensitive product like blood is made easy and saving more lives is definitely at the core of it all.

Donate often and early – remember shortages often happen during the summer months – help blood banks be prepared, and leave the quick delivery and access to the professionals. You’re not helping the disaster victims directly, you’re replenishing the supply for the victims of the next disaster, and that too is vital to saving lives.