KNOXVILLE, TN (WLAF) – MEDIC Regional Blood Center is in need of blood and is taking appointments at its four donor centers.  Donors will be seen by appointment only until further notice.  Call 865-524-3074 and ask to schedule an appointment or connect HERE to schedule online.

MEDIC Regional Blood Center – COVID-19 Update

4/3/20

Reminder: Blood donation is a critical health care activity.

MEDIC Action Steps:

  • Donors at the four donor centers will be seen by appointment only until further notice.
  • As guidelines change and to continue to comply with social distancing guidelines, we are temporarily suspending mobile bus drives until further notice.
  • Why appointment only?
    • This will allow donors to follow the 6’ recommendations for distance from others.
    • This action greatly reduces wait times from 2+ hours to less than 15 minutes.
    • This allows MEDIC staff to better manage donor flow.
    • It is a recommendation from AABB – one of the governing bodies for blood banking.
  • Schedule an Appointment:
    • Online at medicblood.org -> Click the donate tab and then on the center in which you’d like to donate. There is a link that to “click here” to schedule your appointment.
    • Call 865-524-3074 and ask to schedule an appointment.
  • Masks for Collections Staff: As blood is an essential resource for the healthcare system, and in an abundance of caution to protect the health and wellness of both our donors and collections staff, we have implemented the use of N95 masks for our collections staff so that we can continue to collect blood through the COVID-19 situation.
  • Wellness Check-In: Staff, donors and visitors undergo a daily check-in upon arrival at any facility or mobile drive.
    • The check-in includes a temperature check.
      • Temperature must be 99.5 degrees or less to continue.
      • Staff members with a temperature over 99.5 are sent home for the day and may not return until they have been fever-free without medication for 24 hours.
      • Donors and visitors over 99.5 will be asked to return on a different day.
    • The check-in asks donors and visitors if they have travelled to various metro areas in the United States.
    • The check-in also includes asking someone if they feel healthy and well and if someone in the household has been diagnosed with COVID-19/Coronavirus.
  • Convalescent Plasma:
    • An individual must have had a positive COVID-19 diagnosis via confirmed lab test.
    • MEDIC will not be collecting convalescent plasma from community members who may have had a previous infection and believe that they had COVID-19 earlier this year or late last year.
    • There is no blood center testing that MEDIC can do to confirm immunity to COVID-19 from an unknown past infection.
  • Definition: Convalescent plasma treatment is the transfusion of plasma from someone who has recovered from an infection to someone suffering from it, in the hopes that the passive transfer of antibodies will help the patient fight off the infection.
  • It will be weeks before this treatment is fully approved and implemented.
  • There are still lots of regulatory issues with COVID-19 convalescent plasma that are unclear.
  • A treating physician would have to request it from MEDIC and then a process would be followed to fulfill the request.
  • Right now, there simply aren’t a lot of COVID-19 patients verified through testing, who have recovered symptom free, for at least 28 days, who would qualify in East Tennessee.
  • Any people whom we may draw as COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors will have been fully recovered, negative for COVID-19 virus, and absolutely NO risk to our staff or other donors.
  • MEDIC is not a healthcare provider and thus does not provide a coronavirus test nor do we test for COVID-19 antibodies.
  • FDA Updates:
    • The FDA reviewed recently completed studies and epidemiologic data and concluded that current policies for specific donor eligibility rules could be modified without compromising the safety of the blood supply.
    • MEDIC is carefully evaluating options.
    • The process to change our standard operating procedures and software will take time to implement.
    • MEDIC will continue to prioritize the safety of our donors and the blood supply.

 Reminders about the Donation Process:

  • After completing the initial check-in, each donor goes through a mini physical that includes a temperature check as well as a visual check on the donor’s well-being. We look for coughing, nose draining or if the donor is having a hard time breathing.
  • Individuals should not donate if they are feeling ill.
  • Donors are always asked a series of questions that include whether they have traveled outside the country.
  • MEDIC follows appropriate infection control standards of donor rooms and mobile buses and uses single-use equipment for collection procedures and frequent cleaning and hand washing.
  • Blood collected at MEDIC is always tested for various infectious diseases.
  • Blood donation is not a mass gathering or social event.
  • MEDIC is following Knox County Health Department guidelines and updates.
  • According to the FDA, there is no known risk of transmission of COVID-19 through the blood donation process or from blood transfusions.
  • According to the FDA, there is no intrinsic risk of the safety of the blood supply, but there is risk to the availability of blood for patients in need because of an increase in cancelled donation appointments and blood drives.
  • The blood on the shelves right now is the blood that would be used in a trauma/disaster situation, for surgeries and for cancer patients in need of a blood transfusion due to treatments.
  • The shelf life of blood is 42 days.
  • MEDIC serves 25 hospitals in 22 counties.
  • It is imperative that healthy and well individuals continue to donate in the coming weeks.

 MEDIC Regional Blood Center – COVID-19 Update – Key Points

4/3/20

Reminder: Blood donation is a critical health care activity.

MEDIC Action Steps:

  • Donors at the four donor centers will be seen by appointment only until further notice.
  • As guidelines change and to continue to comply with social distancing guidelines, we are temporarily suspending mobile bus drives until further notice.
  • Schedule an Appointment: Online at medicblood.org -> Click the donate tab and then on the center in which you’d like to donate. There is a link that to “click here” to schedule your appointment or call 865-524-3074.
  • Masks for Collections Staff: As blood is an essential resource for the healthcare system, and in an abundance of caution to protect the health and wellness of both our donors and collections staff, we have implemented the use of N95 masks for our collections staff so that we can continue to collect blood through the COVID-19 situation.
  • Wellness Check-In: Staff, donors and visitors undergo a daily check-in upon arrival at any facility or mobile drive.
    • The check-in includes a temperature check.
    • Temperature must be 99.5 degrees or less.
  • Convalescent Plasma:
    • An individual must have had a positive COVID-19 diagnosis via confirmed lab test.
    • MEDIC will not be collecting convalescent plasma from community members who may have had a previous infection and believe that they had COVID-19 earlier this year or late last year.
    • There is no blood center testing that MEDIC can do to confirm immunity to COVID-19 from an unknown past infection.
    • Definition: Convalescent plasma treatment is the transfusion of plasma from someone who has recovered from an infection to someone suffering from it, in the hopes that the passive transfer of antibodies will help the patient fight off the infection.
    • It will be weeks before this treatment is fully approved and implemented.
    • Right now, there simply aren’t a lot of COVID-19 patients verified through testing, who have recovered symptom free, for an unspecified period of time, who would qualify in East Tennessee.
    • MEDIC is not a healthcare provider and thus does not provide a coronavirus test nor do we test for COVID-19 antibodies.
  • FDA Updates:
    • The FDA reviewed recently completed studies and epidemiologic data and concluded that current policies for specific donor eligibility rules could be modified without compromising the safety of the blood supply.
    • MEDIC is carefully evaluating options.
    • The process to change our standard operating procedures and software will take time to implement.
    • MEDIC will continue to prioritize the safety of our donors and the blood supply.   (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 04/03/2020-1PM)

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