Sunday, April 20, 2025
4/20/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs lifesaving blood. During a global pandemic, perhaps more than ever, blood and blood products serve as a critical, irreplaceable part of our nation’s healthcare infrastructure. For people in need the availability of blood and blood products can mean the difference between life and death. The need for blood is constant, and there is no alternative. With support from our generous blood donors, the American Red Cross helps answer the call. As the country’s leading provider of blood and blood products, we proudly provide about 40% of the nation’s blood supply to people in their darkest hours— accident victims, mothers giving birth, patients battling cancer and many more. But before this can happen, each unit of blood undergoes a complex journey from the donor’s arm to the patient in need, which is only possible with our blood services community emergency vehicles. While they seldom show up in headlines, this fleet,consisting of about 2,600 cars, SUVs, cargo vans and trucks, is on the road every day across the nation, making our lifesaving work possible. Within West Virginia, 31 vehicles are currently dedicated to the Blood Services mission. Averaging eight years and150,000 miles on the road, many of our vehicles are aging and require costly repairs. In fact, we must replace about 510 vehicles nationwide each year to make sure everyone gets the help they need. The American Red Cross Central Appalachia Region is seeking funding for three Chrysler Voyager vehicles for $32,000 each, one Chevrolet Equinox for $30,000 and $39,000 towards the purchase of a Ram ProMaster 3500 vehicle, which has a full purchase price of $45,000. We respectfully request your consideration of a total investment of $165,000 to purchase these essential vehicles. The exact vehicle differ from the original Congressional Designated Spending request as the vehicles were needed urgently and purchased during the year-long funding delay.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).