BRYAN, Texas — Physicians Premier Emergency Room hosted a blood drive Friday afternoon, aiming to address summer blood shortages in Bryan and College Station.
The emergency room partnered with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center who brought its mobile blood bank.
About 10 volunteers signed up to donate blood. Among those volunteers was Brook Barber, an emergency room nurse who donated her own blood.
She said she knows her blood can help save lives.
"Just being a nurse, I’ve always just had it in me to care for people, and it was good to know that you helped save a life," Barber said.
Barber has been a nurse for 16 years, and it's her second year donating.
She said blood can help trauma and cancer patients.
"It’s an easy thing to do, a selfless thing to do, and it honestly doesn’t take too much time," she said.
System Director of Clinical Operations Tracy Putts says the emergency room hosted the blood donation to encourage donations in the summer.
She said usually there are seasonal shortages.
"Typically, blood donations go down everywhere over the summer months and the need for blood typically goes up. There’s more trauma, more accidents," Putts said.
Putts also knows firsthand how blood can save lives.
Her daughter who is a Leukemia survivor relied on blood when she was diagnosed in 2018.
Putts hosted drives and donated her own blood to help her daughter.
Now, she tries to donate blood when she can.
"I find it very important. My daughter is a Leukemia survivor, so she depended on blood donations, plasma, platelet products for her life," Putts said.
The emergency room partnered with local business to encourage the community to donate like offering free tacos and a free week of rowing classes.
The donated blood will stay within the community to help patients.