Blood donors continue to flood the hallways at the Scott and White Blood Center in Temple, handling a situation that is anything but normal.
Volunteers, nurses and phlebotomists on Friday were working on just a few hours of sleep since Thursday's shootings. They have been passing out food and collecting blood for over 24 hours.
"Our entire staff was here taking donors. They did put in some longer hours than normal, but they met that challenge very well," manager of the Scott & White Blood Center Regina Phinney said.
On top of sleep deprivation, personal relationships added to the stress.
"I had family members that were on Fort Hood yesterday, whether they worked out there or were out at the PX or the commissary," phlebotomist Aimee Ryce said.
While she was trying to take care of the hundreds of donors coming in, Ryce's loved ones were on her mind.
"It was very nerve-racking to stay calm and collected. It was hard and then to get the news that they were fine. It just makes you break down," Ryce said.
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Blood donations
News 8’s Bonnie Gonzalez has more on the workers collecting blood donations at the Scott & White Blood Center.
 
Press conference
Representatives from Scott & White Health Care answered questions Friday afternoon about the status of some of the victim’s involved in Thursday’s shootings.
EMS response
Representatives from Metroplex Health System in Killeen answered questions about the emergency response process that took place shortly after the shootings.
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Ryce said she prays all the time for her brother-in-law who is overseas in Iraq.
"But you don't think about anything about it being here you know. This is our home. We're supposed to be safe," she said.
Ryce said all she can do is keep on going with her job. She said she's just grateful for all the support.
"We couldn't get to everybody and we were very apologetic but they were so good about waiting and staying the four or five hours they waited. It was just nice to have people that understood and were here for a reason and understood that we were here and doing the best that we could," Ryce said.
Blood donations are being accepted at Scott & White Blood Center on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and will reopen again on Monday at 8 a.m.
For more information visit the Scott & White Blood Center Online.
