The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) and H-E-B are expanding a partnership launched last year designed to help replenish iron levels in young blood donors.

Beginning this semester, the program will include both high school students and college students 21 and younger. A voucher donated by H-E-B for a free 100-day supply of iron supplements will be given to college students at STBTC donor rooms or mobile college drives following their donations, along with a brochure on iron-rich foods.

“H-E-B is proud to support the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center in continuing the iron supplement program,” said Julie Bedingfield, H-E-B Public Affairs Manager. “We hope these efforts will help to ensure the health and wellness of the generous South Texas donor community.”

With blood donations over the next week projected to meet only about 50 percent of the need, the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) is asking the community to help ensure that blood is available for patients.

“We’re working to avoid a situation that could force hospitals to postpone some blood transfusions, and that could leave our community vulnerable to larger trauma events that require multiple units of blood,” said Elizabeth Waltman, Chief Operating Officer of South Texas Blood & Tissue Center.

 “While blood use is up in our service area, donations have declined, especially over the past week,” she said. “As a result we’ve seen the amount of blood available on some days dip to as low as a half-day’s supply. We’ve reached out to other blood centers, but communities across the country continue to see blood shortages and are facing emergency appeals of their own.”