What happens to the blood we donate?

What happens after we donate blood?

Some of our donors have asked about the processing of blood after they have donated.  We all know that it is shipped to our troops as soon as possible, with priority to those serving in combat but what happens in between the donation and the final destination?  According to the Blood Donor Center at Ft. Bragg, on the day of collection the whole blood is transported to Ft. Bragg for processing and manufacturing.  This takes place in the new state of the art facility that was opened last fall.

After testing is completed the blood is then shipped to a distribution hub, one of two in service, one on the East coast and one overseas.  The entire process to get the blood from the donor’s arm to a distribution hub varies from two to four days, depending on the number of units collected. 

From the hub the blood is then shipped into theater, read Afghanistan, and usually arrives within seven days.  We have been told by mobile blood donor team personnel that the time is often shorter.

The time it takes to get to our troops is important, but it would not happen if our donors were not willing to take the time to donate their life saving blood.  The process starts here, in Winston-Salem.