UAB Health System tries to raise blood donations, reduce use

A winter storm a year ago in the Midwest paralyzed blood exports to Alabama. For several weeks, local patients' access to the potential lifesaver was threatened because the state didn't receive other donations to boost the supply. That's when UAB Health System, the state's largest consumer of blood products, decided to take action. Since then, a task force has devised a strategy to increase local donations and to decrease the system's use of blood. UAB Hospital is the country's fourth-highest user of red blood cells.