Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Zhiwei Tan | 170612-N-LG762-024 NORFOLK (June 12, 2017) Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Katherine...... read more read more
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NORFOLK - A blood drive was held in the medical triage aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) on June 12.
Blood drawn during this event was in support of the Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP), which only draws blood from members of the military and uses it exclusively for Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines.
“The mission for us [was] to get some blood donations so that we can create some blood products to send out to the theaters [of operation],” said Lt. Fae Ramirez, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Officer in Charge of Blood Services. “Our mission never stops. We might not be in a crisis right now, but we always need blood. The need [for blood] is always greater than the supply.”
Some of the blood will be broken down to create platelets, red cells, and plasma. Some will be sent off to Armed Services Blood Program Processing Laboratory in New Jersey to be frozen.
“It’s imperative for Sailors to come and donate blood," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SW/AW) Joseph Simpson. “Your blood might be the deciding factor to the lives of the men and women who are deployed and/or on the front lines.”
According to Simpson, during Wasp’s recent deployment to the Mediterranean, a batch of frozen blood was kept ready for use within 10 minutes, but it takes anywhere from one to three hours to activate the walk-in blood bank. The drive also helps Wasp’s medical team identify potential walk-in donors.
“I donate as much as I can,” said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Mitchell Harrison. “It makes me feel good to donate, especially since this will be used by the military.”
While all are encouraged to donate blood, some disqualifiers include but are not limited to getting a tattoo or visiting a third world country within the last year. For more information on blood donation, consult a corpsman or the nearest medical provider.
Wasp is currently preparing for their upcoming homeport shift to Sasebo, Japan where they are slated to relieve the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in the 7th Fleet area of operations.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2017 16:12 |
| Story ID: | 237553 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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