New Castle County Government has been a great friend and supporter to Blood Bank of Delmarva for the blood emergency declared Monday, April 8, both from the executive and legislative branches of government.
On Tuesday, April 9, New Castle County Council President Karen Hartley-Nagle read into the record the blood emergency BBD declared the day before. There was a subsequent discussion involving Councilman George Smiley and David Tackett, two regular blood donors.
Then, the executive branch took over on Thursday, April 11, when the New Castle County Government Blood Drive booked 47 donors. Six of them were first time donors and seven of whom were low titter type O positive whole blood donations, BBD Director of Laboratories Kristin Frederick said. She and Manager, Hospital Services and Logistics Jessica Camponelli transported the low titer units back to Christiana since they require different coolers than regular whole blood.
Among the low titer and paramedic donors were New Castle County Director of Public Safety Vaughn Bond, New Castle County Paramedics Chief Mark Logemann, NCC Paramedics Assistant Chief Christopher Johnson, NCC Paramedics Captain Kelli Starr-Leach, and NCC Paramedics Lieutenant David Aber. For nearly a year now, New Castle and Sussex County paramedics have been able to transfuse pre-hospital, whole blood in the field, to save even more lives.
Amongst the regular donors, there was a host of New Castle County employees, including Joe Paoli, Mary Duman, Leatrice Wisher, Laura McDermott, Celia Pagan, New Castle County Police Detective Adam Holubinka, and Sheila Pearlman.
“I’m O negative, and they call me all the time,” Pearlman said.
“I got a notification that my blood was used by the New Castle County Paramedics!” said Duman, who is an O positive donor. “It’s awesome.”
The drive also attracted general members of the public, including Amanda Moyer, Courtney Hill and Matt Kibblehouse, an O negative donor needed during this two-week blood emergency.
All in all, it was another great effort by blood drive coordinator Vicki Workinger, who has coordinated New Castle County Blood Drives for years.
“We thank New Castle County Government, and the New Castle County Paramedics for all their support,” BBD Director of Laboratories Kristin Frederick said. “We’ve also had great support from state government officials, not to mention the local chambers of commerce up and down Delmarva for this two-week emergency. Every drop counts.”
