For Greenville’s Shriners Hospitals for Children
Piedmont, SC (March 7, 2016) – The Blood Connection and Shriners Hospitals for Children—Greenville have announced a new service partnership. Before a patient receives a life-saving blood transfusion, a routine series of laboratory tests determine patient and donor compatibility. Previously, Greenville Shriners Hospital, like many hospitals, performed these tests on-site and used TBC’s Immunohematology Reference Laboratory for research as needed to resolve incompatibilities. Now, all transfusion services for the hospital will be performed by TBC’s Reference Laboratory.
“Last summer, we began working with TBC on a plan to support the hospital’s transfusion needs,” said Administrator Randy Romberger. “TBC has long been our supplier of blood products and we realized it made sense to access the vast testing and reference resources offered through its Biologics Processing Center. Combining these services will give us new efficiencies that support and enhance our high standard of patient care.”
Each time a patient needs a blood transfusion, a series of standard tests decreases the risk of a transfusion reaction. Blood typing is the first step and this determines whether a patient has A, AB, B or O-type blood. This is followed by another test that determines a patient’s Rh type, either negative or positive, so that a compatible donation from a blood donor can be selected. Cross matching is the final step, where a sample of a donor’s blood is combined with a patient’s blood and observed for compatibility.
“TBC has always served as the supplier for blood products at Shriners Hospitals for Children, but compatibility testing was performed by hospital staff,” said TBC President and CEO Delisa English. “This is the first time TBC has partnered with a hospital to provide all of these transfusion services and it’s a natural progression of services. We’re pleased to be able to provide this biomedical solution.”
About The Blood Connection
Founded in 1979 in Greenville, SC, The Blood Connection (TBC) is the largest independently managed, non-profit community blood center in the region. It recruits donors and collects blood within an 8,390 square mile area of South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina. In South Carolina, TBC supports Greenville, Spartanburg, Union, Pickens, Oconee, Greenwood, McCormick, Laurens, and Newberry Counties. In Georgia, TBC supports Stephens County. In 2011, The Blood Connection expanded into Western North Carolina and now serves Polk, Buncombe, Transylvania, McDowell, Macon and Henderson Counties.
Licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, TBC collects blood from donors through bloodmobiles, portable field units, and fixed donation sites. It holds approximately twelve blood drives every day and collects over 120,000 units of blood, platelets and plasma each year to connect volunteer blood donors, hospitals, and patients needing life-saving transfusions. For more information, visit thebloodconnection.org.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children—Greenville
Shriners Hospitals for Children – Greenville provides specialty orthopedic care and services, regardless of ability to pay. Children up to age 18 are eligible for care at Shriners Hospitals for Children if, in the opinion of our physicians, there is a reasonable possibility the child can benefit from the specialized services available. Acceptance is based solely on a child’s medical needs. For more information, visit www.GreenvilleShrinersHospital.org.
