Bulverde-Spring Branch area location to offer blood donor center in one of America’s fastest-growing areas
Residents of Bulverde, Spring Branch and western Comal County now have a convenient location to donate blood and platelets, thanks to South Texas Blood & Tissue.
The organization opened a new donor center at 20630 Texas Highway 46 West, Suite 115, in the Creekside of Bulverde shopping center. The center is near the interchange of Texas 46 and U.S. Highway 281.
The new donor site opened to the public on June 30.
Rapid population growth in South Texas has driven up the demand for blood by 15-20% this year. Kendall and Comal counties are in the top 10 fastest growing counties in the country, according to Census data, and the growth has created a need for more blood donation centers.
South Texas Blood & Tissue, a subsidiary of San Antonio nonprofit BioBridge Global, serves more than 100 hospitals in 48 counties.
Events in Uvalde emphasized the importance of having blood on the shelves before a tragedy happens, so every patient gets the blood they need. Blood donations help accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those undergoing treatment for cancer, sickle cell disease and many more.
Additionally, rising numbers of auto accidents has increased the demand for blood donations. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, traffic fatalities reached a 16-year-high in 2021.
The Bulverde donor center will be the second new location that South Texas Blood & Tissue has opened this year. In January, the Boerne facility opened to meet the need for blood in that area. And in 2023, the donor center in Victoria is anticipated to move to a new location.
“We want this donor center to reflect the community and be a warm and welcoming place for anyone to stop in and give blood or platelets during this time of critically low blood supply,” said Adrienne Mendoza, Chief Operating Officer at South Texas Blood & Tissue.
Guest speaker Ryan Morkovsky thanked The Foundation for the new location and encouraged the community to be advocates for blood donations to help patients like his 3-year-old daughter Amy in their fight against cancer. Amy continues chemotherapy and lab tests with an estimated end to her treatment and cancer in April 2023.
The donation center is open thanks to generous donations from the Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992, John R. and Greli N. Less Charitable Trust, The Greehey Family Foundation, Myra Stafford Pryor Charitable Trust, Nimet & Al Rajwani, The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation, 2021 Red and White Ball benefactors and more.
Hours are Thursday-Sunday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday.
Donors can schedule a blood donation by visiting SouthTexasBlood.org or calling 210-731-5590.
