Month: August 2023

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Three years ago this past weekend, Lincoln Police Department Investigator Mario Herrera was shot while serving a search warrant. Twelve days later, he passed away. This year, a blood drive is happening again to honor him. Thanks to blood donations and blood transfusions, Herrera’s family was able to get 12 extra days by his side. The tragedy serves as a stark reminder that donating blood can make a huge difference. Lincoln Police, along with Lincoln Fire and rescue, encourage anyone who can donate to do just that. To help other people and their families. “The legacy of 12 Days of Hope Blood Drives that are happening during this time are crucial,” said Kari Lundeen, Nebraska Community Blood Bank. “We’re in a time where some of our blood types have less than a three day supply, so people coming out to donate in honor of Mario is extremely important.” Monday’s blood drive has wrapped up, but there’s another happening Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hall of Justice. Participants are asked to schedule an appointment before arriving. Copyright 2023 KOLN. All rights reserved.

DEDHAM, Mass. — The state’s public health commissioner and a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director will come together on Tuesday to donate blood amid new rules that open blood donation to gay and bisexual men. DPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein and former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will both donate blood together “to commemorate the recently updated rules enabling many gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men to donate blood,” the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said in a statement on Monday. The two will donate blood together at the Red Cross Dedham Donation Center, officials said. In May, the Food and Drug Administration eased restrictions that had previously prohibited many blood donations by gay and bisexual men after years of pressure by the American Medical Association, blood banks and LGBTQ rights groups. This month, the American Red Cross began accepting donations from eligible gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. “For nearly a decade, Drs. Walensky and Goldstein have worked together to change the policy for blood donation eligibility, advocating that donation criteria should be based on science and risk, and not stigmatize based on sexual orientation,” state public health officials said. Goldstein and Walensky publicly wrote about the issue in 2017, “in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting, when most gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men were unable to donate blood and help their community in this meaningful way,” officials said. “During the past 2½ years, when Dr. Walensky led the CDC and Dr. Goldstein worked with her as a senior policy advisor, they continued their efforts to revise eligibility guidelines,” officials said. The two made a pact that when the regulations finally changed, they would donate blood together, officials said. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

There’s an urgent call to give back before we see potential impacts from Idalia.OneBlood needs donations. There’s a dire need for Type O-negative, Type O-positive and platelets.“Hurricanes and tropical systems often disrupt blood collections for several days. The most critical time for blood donations is prior to any storm or hurricane in order to sustain the blood supply during and immediately after the event,” said Susan Forbes, OneBlood’s senior vice president of corporate communications and public relations.OneBlood encourages all eligible donors to roll up their sleeves and give. They serve more than 250 hospitals throughout the Southeast. Forbes says a lot of patients rely on the community’s support during emergencies. “There’s still cancer patients, premature babies, sickle cell patients, trauma patients, the list goes on and on of the people who are in the hospital and will be there during the storm who require blood transfusions. Making blood donations part of your hurricane preps is such a wonderful community service that you’re doing. I know we’re all rushing around getting our own supplies and getting our own lives in order. But you have the potential to help save somebody’s life during this storm. And it’s a power that we encourage you to share and help save people’s lives,” Forbes said. People as young as 16 can donate with their parents’ permission.Donors also need to be at least 110 pounds and in good health.OneBlood encourages all eligible donors to visit a donor center or Big Red Bus as soon as possible. For a list of OneBlood locations, visit www.oneblood.org. There’s an urgent call to give back before we see potential impacts from Idalia. OneBlood needs donations. There’s a dire need for Type O-negative, Type O-positive and platelets. Advertisement “Hurricanes and tropical systems often disrupt blood collections for several days. The most critical time for blood donations is prior to any storm or hurricane in order to sustain the blood supply during and immediately after the event,” said Susan Forbes, OneBlood’s senior vice president of corporate communications and public relations. OneBlood encourages all eligible donors to roll up their sleeves and give. They serve more than 250 hospitals throughout the Southeast. Forbes says a lot of patients rely on the community’s support during emergencies. “There’s still cancer patients, premature babies, sickle cell patients, trauma patients, the list goes on and on of the people who are in the hospital and will be there during the storm who require blood transfusions. Making blood donations part of your hurricane preps is such a wonderful community service that you’re doing. I know we’re all rushing around getting our own supplies and getting our own lives in order. But you have the potential to help save somebody’s life during this storm. And it’s a power that we encourage you to share and help save people’s lives,” Forbes said. People as young as 16 can donate with their parents’ permission. Donors also need to be at least 110 pounds and in good health. OneBlood encourages all eligible donors to visit a donor center or Big Red Bus as soon as possible. For a list of OneBlood locations, visit www.oneblood.org.

14 minutes ago LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Saturday marked three years since Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera was shot while serving a warrant. He died 12 days later. During those final days of his life, officials said Herrera received many blood transfusions, keeping him alive longer than anticipated. Now Lincoln Police and Lincoln Fire & Rescue are banding together for the 12 Days of Hope blood drive to honor his memory. SEE ALSO: ‘Justice’ for another victim: Felipe Vazquez takes plea deal in 2020 homicide Sgt. Chris Vollmer said these types of anniversaries often bring mixed emotions. “You have the positives of people coming together,” he said. “Symbolizing something good, uniting of the community. But you also have the memory of the incident itself, which can be hard. And people process that in different ways.” Officials with the Nebraska Community Blood Bank, which helped run the drive, said that for every one person who donates, up to three people can be helped. Lancaster County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Gaston, who donated on Monday, said giving blood is always worthwhile. “Blood equals life,” he said. “And if we don’t donate and have a supply, then when we need it, it’s not going to be there. So, I would encourage everyone to find their own reason to donate blood.” Kari Lundeen, a spokeswoman for the blood bank, said it needs about a thousand donations a week to help everyone who needs it. She said the blood bank is hoping for at least 150 donations from the drive. SEE ALSO: Accomplice sentenced in slaying of Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera “Nearly 99% of the blood that is collected by Nebraska Community Blood Bank stays right here in our state,” she said. “And there is no other way to get blood without volunteer blood donors. It can’t be manufactured; it’s not grown in a lab.” Lundeen said the Food and Drug Administration has changed its guidelines over the last few years, making more people eligible to donate. If you missed your chance to donate Monday, you can stop by a Nebraska Community Blood Bank location. The Lincoln Police Department will host another drive Sept. 7 at its headquarters at 9th and K streets. Tags: 12 days of hope, 12 Days of Hope Blood Drive, American Red Cross, Blood bank, Blood drive, blood transfusion, fallen hero, Investigator Mario Herrera, killed in the line of duty, Lincoln Fire & Rescue, Lincoln Fire and Rescue, Lincoln Police Department, Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera, line of duty, LPD Mario Herrera, Nebraska Community Blood Bank, Pine Lake Road, Public Safety Center, Scott Gaston, Sgt. Chris Vollmer

UK ex-pats and Aussies who spent time in the UK have made more than 123,000 blood and plasma donations in the 12 months since the ‘mad cow’ ban was lifted, exceeding expectations. Australian Red Cross Lifeblood anticipated the rule change would lead to an additional 18,000 donors, but more than 34,000 new donors have rolled up their sleeves to give. Lifeblood Executive Director of Donor Experience Cath Stone said the organisation was thrilled with the uptake in donation. “These newly eligible donors are contributing nearly one in every 10 blood and plasma donations in Australia. However, the reality is that with demand at its highest in a decade, we still need more donors to boost supplies and there are still more than 800,000 people who may have become eligible because of this rule change. “Right now, in particular, we need more people with O positive and O negative to book a donation.” She said it was important to acknowledge the incredible effort of all those who had donated in the first 12 months and who were making a very real difference to patients in need every single day. “After not being able to donate in Australia for over 20 years, it’s heartening to see these donors making up for lost time to help people who rely on blood and plasma donations,” Cath said. “Incredibly, 95 dedicated donors have each given plasma, the powerful liquid part of blood, more than 20 times in the first year!” Kirby Institute researcher Dr Skye McGregor said the UK restriction was the biggest reason people were permanently deferred from donating blood, impacting 4.4 per cent of the population. “Australia’s first study into blood donation eligibility, conducted by the Kirby Institute and Lifeblood and published in Transfusion, shows around 10.5 million people are eligible to donate blood in Australia,” Dr McGregor said. “Currently just 14.2 per cent of the eligible population are donating blood, which means there’s a huge number of people who could be donating but aren’t. “The study also shows a high level of misperceptions around blood donation eligibility, including last year’s UK change, and we believe awareness may be the single biggest barrier to lifting donation rates.” Lifeblood regularly reviews eligibility rules to ensure as many people as possible can give blood and plasma, without compromising safety, most recently reducing the wait period for blood donations from four months to seven days for people with tattoos. Given rules do change, Cath said it’s likely many people simply don’t realise they are eligible to donate blood or plasma. “I urge the community not to rule themselves out. Spread the word and encourage friends, colleagues and loved ones to check their eligibility and donate now if they can. After all, 1 in 3 Australians will need blood or blood products in their lifetime, so we should all think about paying it forward!” To check your eligibility and book a donation, call 13 14 95, visit lifeblood.com.au or download the Donate Blood app. Background The human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) or ‘mad cow’ ban impacted people who lived in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and the Falkland Islands for six months or more between 1980 and 1996. It was removed in July 2022 following an in-depth risk assessment, performed by Lifeblood and UNSW Sydney’s Kirby Institute. It found there would be no risk of acquiring human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) from blood donations and that Australia’s blood supply would remain one of the safest in the world. Key statistics for UK donors in the first 12 months 34,389 donors have made 123,118 donations Contributed 8% of all blood and plasma donations 76% (or 26,200) returned for a second donation (the average new donor return rate is 60%) 95 people donated more than 20 times State/Territory Number of UK donors in past 12 months Number of blood and plasma collections New South Wales 9,285 30,390 Victoria 7,996 27,867 Queensland 6,842 23,832 Western Australia 6,027 23,712 South Australia 2,494 8,709 ACT 1,222 4,561 Tasmania 824 3,373 Northern Territory 204 674 National (some donors donated across states): 34,389 123,118

Florida state Democratic lawmaker Angie Nixon blamed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “anti-woke” policies for motivating the Jacksonville shooting. The Jacksonville sheriff’s office announced on Sunday that Ryan Christopher Palmeter, 21 White male, killed two Black men and one Black woman at a Dollar General store in a predominately Black neighborhood, before killing himself at the scene. “Plainly put, the shooting was racially motivated, and he hated Black people,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said during a news conference over the weekend. After showing clips of DeSantis declaring that “Florida, the state, and its people condemn the horrific racially-motivated murders, perpetrated by a deranged scumbag,” MSNBC anchor Lindsey Reiser asked Nixon for her thoughts about his comments Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon shares her thoughts on the horrific shooting in Jacksonville, Florida. (MSNBC) FLORIDA SHERIFF REVEALS IDENTITY OF SUSPECT IN ‘RACIALLY MOTIVATED’ JACKSONVILLE SHOOTING Nixon criticized DeSantis for making “hollow” statements, and suggested his rhetoric and policy were partially to blame for the shooting. “This is a governor who has done nothing but fan these types of happenings throughout our state. Look, at the end of the day, the governor has blood on his hands,” she said. “He has had an all-out attack, on the Black community with his anti-woke policies, which we know very well was nothing more than a dog-whistle to get folks up and riled up in the way in which it just happened on yesterday.” She continued, “Myself and other representatives, particularly Black representatives, throughout the past few legislative sessions, we have repeatedly told him what his rhetoric was going to do, and that is exactly what transpired on yesterday.” A 21-year-old White man opened fire at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday, killing three people. (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office) JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF RELEASES IMAGES OF WEAPON BEARING SWASTIKAS AFTER DOLLAR GENERAL SHOOTING She blamed DeSantis as “one of the causes to this” and appeared to claim a past warning of his not to “’monkey this up’” was intended as a racially charged dog whistle that “only leads to things like this.” CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP DeSantis made a statement during the 2018 gubernatorial debate that his critics claimed was racially tinged. “The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state,” DeSantis said at the time. Democrats accused him of coded racial rhetoric because the Democratic nominee at the time was Andrew Gillum, who is Black. For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

QUINCY (WGEM) – Firefighters, police officers, paramedics and held a friendly competition Monday afternoon for a good cause. Monday marked the annual Battle of the Badges blood drive at the Quincy Regional Training Facility. The competition featured nearly two dozen first responders from the Quincy Police Department, the Quincy Fire Department, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and the Adams County Ambulance District. Quincy fire chief Bernard Vahlkamp said Monday’s event was a fun way to help the community while raising awareness for the need of blood donations. “It’s just part of our community involvement to try to help the Red Cross out, help get blood, they’re always in dire need of a blood supply so this is just a way to bring some awareness to it and have a friendly little competition at the same time,” said Vahlkamp. He said the Red Cross helps the fire department all the time, so this was also their chance to give back. “They’re a big partner in our community. They help out during disaster relief, they help out with us at fire scenes with providing housing for people that need it that are displaced, clothing, so there’s lots of needs, lots of areas that the Red Cross works in partnership with the police and fire departments to help people in need,” said Vahlkamp. He encourages anyone else to give blood if they are able to. Whichever agency gave the most blood donations on Monday will get their name on a plaque. Copyright 2023 WGEM. All rights reserved.

As Tropical Storm Idalia—which is predicted to intensify into a hurricane— approaches the Suncoast, Suncoast Blood Centers is in need of blood donations. In order to keep blood center shelves stocked ahead of an emergency, Suncoast Blood Centers is asking for individuals who feel safe and can donate blood to consider doing so. Suncoast Blood Centers has donation centers at the following locations: Bradenton: Bayshore Shopping Center 6026 14th St. W., Bradenton Lakewood Ranch 3025 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Suite 111 Port Charlotte: Charlotte Square 2150 Tamiami Trail, Unit 17, Port Charlotte Sarasota 1760 Mound St., Sarasota Venice: Bird Bay Plaza 539 U.S. 41 Bypass, Venice In general, healthy adults over the age of 16 with no history of blood-borne illness or pathogens can donate blood. Also, donors between 16 and 18 years of age can donate with a signed parental consent form. Donors must weigh at least 110 lbs. and be in good health — that means you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition, such as diabetes, and you want to donate blood, it’s essential that you are being treated and the condition is under control. If you’re not feeling well on the day of your donation, please reschedule. Additional eligibility criteria apply, including certain medications, medical conditions, travel to certain countries, and personal history. For info, click here. For more information on hours and eligibility, click here or call (866) 959-1176.