During our recent regional tabletop exercise (TTX), we were grateful to have representatives from MEDIC Regional Blood Center participate in discussions regarding emergency preparedness and healthcare response.
Following the exercise, Kristy Altman, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations at MEDIC, provided our Coalition with additional information regarding the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC). We appreciate Kristy and the MEDIC team for sharing this important resource with our partners across the region.
The Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC) is a nationwide partnership of blood centers committed to maintaining preparedness for disasters and mass casualty incidents. Participating blood centers maintain extra blood units on a rotating “on-call” schedule to help ensure emergency blood supplies are readily available when needed.
In emergencies such as natural disasters, mass casualty incidents, or large-scale accidents, local blood inventories can quickly become strained. BERC helps provide rapid access to additional blood products through coordinated support from participating blood centers across the country.
Through this system:
- Blood centers monitor hospital needs and local inventory levels
- Additional support can be requested when necessary
- Regional partners can assist with delivery of blood products within a short timeframe
- Participating centers rapidly prepare and ship blood products once activated
Although BERC was not a primary focus of the exercise, the discussion still highlighted the importance of understanding how systems like this function during real-world emergencies.
Partnerships with organizations like MEDIC continue to strengthen regional preparedness and coordination efforts throughout East Tennessee.
For additional details, please refer to the attached BERC one-sheet provided by MEDIC.