In wake of Wednesday's mass shooting that claimed the lives of 17 people, Blood Assurance has sent blood to Florida.
Blood Assurance was contacted by the blood bank that supplies the area where the shooting occurred and was asked to supply O-negative blood to help treat the victims.
"As a parent and grandparent, my heart continues to hurt for those that have to deal with the loss of a loved one in such a tragic and senseless way," said J.B. Gaskins,
president and CEO at Blood Assurance. "We are comfortable with the decision to ship these O-negative units to the Florida blood bank and we are only able to do so because
of the generosity of our donors. We will send what we are able to send while still keeping our local hospitals supplied, and we will monitor our collections and usage locally before we commit to any further shipments."
Blood Assurance is continuing to communicate with the blood supplier in Florida and will continue to help if able.
Blood Assurance is asking for people with all blood types, especially those with type O-negative, O-positive, and A-negative, to donate at a Blood Assurance facility or mobile.
Blood Assurance has only sent O-negative units but wants to be prepared to send other types if needed.