Texas Injury Lawyers Blog
SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 10, 2020: Carabin Shaw Law Firm and Wyatt Law Firm, PLLC. answered the lifesaving need to help fight COVID 19 by donating $100,000 to assist the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center’s (STBTC) efforts to collect convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients. The two firms will provide $50,000.00 each — $100,000.00 total — in gift cards to encourage South Texans who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate convalescent plasma. Donors will receive a $50.00 Visa gift card for each eligible donation.“We felt it was vital for us to encourage people to make a lifesaving plasma donation,” said Jamie Shaw, a founding partner of Carabin Shaw. “It’s critically important to our community, and we want to encourage others to step up and help.”
Convalescent plasma contains antibodies to the virus that causes COVID-19 and may provide passive immunity to certain patients with severe forms of the illness. The plasma is used to treat patients with active infections, and it is one of the few treatments available for COVID-19. STBTC is the only organization in this area collecting convalescent plasma that can be transfused directly to patients with COVID-19.San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg joined Jamie Shaw, of Carabin Shaw, and Paula Wyatt, of Wyatt Law Firm, at the STBTC Donor Pavilion at a press conference to announce the program for the community.
The gift cards are supplied by the firms and are not funded by the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, a subsidiary of BioBridge Global. The gift cards will be distributed while supplies last. STBTC is supplying hospitals with convalescent plasma and plans to stockpile plasma donations for any future surges in demand. The average plasma donation provides enough for three doses, which are transfused to patients in hopes of helping their immune systems fight off a COVID-19 infection.
“The fight isn’t over, so we need to continue to collect plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients,” said Paula Wyatt, Founding Partner of Wyatt Law Firm. “The Greater San Antonio community has done so much for us, and we want to do our part to make San Antonio strong and healthy.”
The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) is a nonprofit community blood center that provides blood, plasma, platelets and other blood components to 100 hospitals in 48 South Texas counties. It is the largest blood supplier in our region. It is part of the BioBridge Global family of nonprofit organizations. STBTC has seven donor rooms in South Texas and conducts hundreds of mobile blood drives each year. STBTC is online at SouthTexasBlood.org.Nationally, blood centers collecting convalescent plasma are looking to double the 100,000 doses given to patients so far. STBTC has provided more than 4,400 of those doses.
Learn more by visiting SouthTexasBlood.org or emailing COVID19@SouthTexasBlood.org. All donors must contact the center and be screened for COVID-19 antibody levels and symptoms before donating. If you haven’t had COVID-19, you can still help by donating blood to help address the current critical need.
About Carabin Shaw:
Carabin Shaw law firm has nearly 30 years of experience helping clients get the attention they deserve and representing people who have suffered catastrophic injuries and tragic wrongful deaths. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Carabin Shaw attorneys practice law in the fields of Auto Accidents, Semi Truck Accidents/18 Wheeler Crashes, Motorcycle Accidents, Injured Workers, Wrongful Death and Product Liability, in addition to other specialties. www.carabinshaw.com.