America's blood banking and transfusion medicine community announced new recommendations for responding to future domestic disasters and acts of terrorism. The Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism presented its recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services' Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability on Thursday, January 31.

"The best preparation for the next disaster is to ensure that we have adequate blood inventories on our shelves every day in all locations across the country," said Karen Shoos Lipton, chief executive officer of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). "The Task Force is committed to ensuring that future blood collection efforts run smoothly and are managed properly, with the public receiving clear and consistent messages regarding the status of America's blood supply."

Convened by the AABB, the Task Force is comprised of representatives from varied blood services and associations, governmental agencies and commercial entities, including: AABB, AdvaMed, America's Blood Centers, American Red Cross, Armed Services Blood Program Office, Blood Centers of America/hemerica, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, and the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association.

Based on lessons learned from the September 11 attack on America, the Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism has concluded that the blood banking community must work together to ensure that facilities maintain safe and adequate inventories at all times in preparation for disasters, and to have a mechanism in place to assess the need for collections and/or transportation of blood should a disaster occur.

In a disaster, the first priorities of the Task Force will be to:

• Verify and communicate to the blood community the medical need for blood;
• Identify sites with existing excess blood inventory;
• Determine the need, if any, for blood shipment and the logistics of such shipments
• Develop public messages and facilitate the discussion of donor issues

Millions of blood donors rolled up their sleeves in the hours, days and weeks following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Presently, the blood donation rate is, for the most part, back to pre-September 11 levels, according to the National Blood Data Resource Center, a not-for-profit subsidiary of the American Association of Blood Banks.

"A sense of patriotism and civic duty flooded blood centers the days following the terrorist attacks - a feeling that's not been generated since World War II," said Dr. Jerry Squires, vice president and chief scientific officer, American Red Cross. "Now we must re-energize these donors to give every 56 days, not just during a national emergency, and create the next generation of donors."

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