The victims of the Las Vegas shooting need blood, and local centers are putting out the call.
BloodSource operates 15 centers in Northern and Central California, all of which are part of a national network of bloodbanks called Blood Systems.
Alexander Sigua, spokesperson for BloodSource, calls the United Blood Services bank in Las Vegas a "sister center." So far, BloodSource has sent 10 pints of whole blood there and may need to send more in the coming days and weeks.
"There's a system of different processes and different checks and balances to make sure that need is met," Sigua said. "During a time of tragedy like this one, obviously there's a high volume of blood that's needed in a short amount of time and that quickly impacts the blood supply."
Because California is sending blood out of state, he says there's a need for more blood to backfill the local supply. While Las Vegas is currently reporting that they have enough blood to treat the patients they have, the situation could change at any time, Sigua says.
Most people older than age 16 and weighing more than 110 pounds are eligible to donate. Visit bloodsource.org to make an appointment.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of Blood Systems.
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