We hear about the blood banks in Texas being low all the time; unfortunately calls for help have sadly become background noise for a lot of us. But tragedies like the one in Uvalde this week just drive home the point of how important blood and blood banks are.

Texans are urged to donate blood and platelets to help neighbors in need.

According to a press release, Carter BloodCare has sent units of O negative blood to South Texas to support hospital needs, following the horrific and heartbreaking mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Today, (May 25), Carter BloodCare reportedly provided blood through its founding role in the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps. If you aren't familiar with that it is a "network of U.S. blood centers is on-call to assist communities during large-scale emergencies that may deplete the local blood supply."

So why O negative? It's because it is the universal blood type, meaning it can be used to treat any patient, regardless of their individual blood type.

There is a nonstop need for an available blood supply to provide quick emergency response. The North, Central and East Texas community is urged to donate at any Carter BloodCare donor center or mobile blood drive. It takes less than an hour to make a donation that can save three lives.

If you're able you can help too. Visit CarterBloodCare.org and click the Donate Now tab, or call 800-366-2834. If you are looking for more ways to help out our South Texas friends, click here.

Carter BloodCare is an independent, community blood center providing transfusion resources to more than 180 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of North, Central and East Texas. The nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization is one of the largest blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 450,000 blood products annually to meet hospitals’ requirements for their patients. Services include collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, storage and distribution of blood and blood products.

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