PIEDMONT, S.C. - As flight crews gear up for a surge in traumas throughout the summer months, they ask the community to step up to the helipad to donate blood for their next lifesaving mission. With summer months being notorious for hemorrhagic traumas, The Blood Connection (TBC) and Med-Trans partner in the "Battle of the Birds," a statewide blood drive competition among nine Med-Trans affiliated flight crews across South Carolina.
With each flight crew using countless units of blood on each lifesaving mission, they see it as their duty to replace the blood they use in flight. On Wednesday, June 3, flight crews will host community blood drives in their coverage areas from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The competition, a friendly rivalry that determines which crew collects the most blood, supports a mission that is anything but casual: ensuring patients transported by air medical teams have access to the blood they need when crews arrive on scene.
For supporting local flight crews and donating blood during Battle of the Birds on June 3, donors will receive $30 in TBC rewards and an exclusive Battle of the Birds t-shirt, while supplies last.
“Battle of the Birds makes sure that air medical crews have the blood products available to intervene with pre-hospital blood transfusions to stabilize the most critical patients and protect brain function—meaning readily-available transfusions truly determine who survives,” said Delisa English, President & CEO of The Blood Connection. "The Blood Connection was one of the first to support pre-hospital transfusions and to make sure that air medical teams have the blood products they need to positively change patient outcomes with every transfusion. The reality is that the margin of survival is not measured in miles to the nearest trauma center, but in whether blood is available on an aircraft."
"Every day, our flight crews see firsthand how lifesaving blood products can be in the pre-hospital setting," said Amy Jo Wess and Hollie Lobo, Base Leaders for Med-Trans. "From traumatic injuries to critical medical emergencies, blood administered before a patient reaches the hospital makes all the difference. That's why blood donors are so vital to the communities we serve. We encourage everyone to come out, donate and help us continue giving patients their best chance when every second counts."
2026 Battle of the Birds Blood Drives Wednesday, June 3 | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- AnMed Life Flight Helipad – 600 N Fant St, Anderson, SC 29621
- Roper St. Francis Berkley Hospital – 100 Callen Blvd, Summerville, SC 29486
- Self Regional Healthcare –1325 Spring Street, Greenwood, SC 29646
- Charleston MUSC – 171 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC 29425
- Lancaster MUSC – 800 W Meeting St, Lancaster, SC 29720
- McLeod Health Seacoast – 4000 Highway 9 East, Little River, SC 29566
- MUSC Orangeburg – 3000 Saint Matthews Road, Orangeburg, SC 29118
- Regional One Base – 1001 N. Pine St, Spartanburg, SC 29303
- Walterboro Christian Center – 320 Robertson Blvd Walterboro, SC 29488
- Sumter County Civic Center – 700 W Liberty St, Sumter, SC 29150
Donors are encouraged to schedule an appointment in advance. Walk-ins are welcome. To schedule a donation appointment visit thebloodconnection.org.