Blood Center Winds Up the Summer in Need

If you’ve never donated blood before, this would be a great time to start. Because of an unusually high number of medical emergencies and surgeries, the Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin is low on supplies. Rod Gnerlich, Marketing Communications Manager at the Blood Center, reports that since August 1 the blood supply has fluctuated from stable levels (4-5 days’ supply on hand) all the way to emergency (less than one days’ supply).

The need for blood is both ongoing and consistently growing. Jacquelyn Fredrick, president and chief executive officer of the Blood Center, stresses that low blood supplies are a warning to take action – the Center never wants a patient to go without needed blood, and once a shortage occurs it takes almost a week to get supplies back up to normal. In addition, the Milwaukee area is a nationally recognized medical center where we use two times the national average of blood. And as these Blood Center officials point out, there is no for replacement for real blood – no synthetic products, no animal substitutes.

On average, one out of every 20 Americans will need a blood transfusion at some time in their lives. They might need a transfusion of whole blood, red blood cells for a surgical procedure, plasma for treatment of anemia, or platelets for open-heart surgery, radiation or chemotherapy treatments. A single car accident victim, in fact, might need 20 to 30 units of blood. This translates to a need for about 720 donors each day to keep our local blood supply stable, says Fredrick.

The problem is that less than 5% of the people who are eligible to donate blood actually do so.

Need For Blood Grows Each Year
The Blood Center continues to recruit new donors because the demand for blood continues to rise. This can be attributed to the population growing older and needing more blood, to the many advances in medicine that call for blood supplies, and to a reduction in eligible donors. The need for blood this year is up 7% from last year, and Gnerlich predicts that number will continue to rise.

Gnerlich states, “The Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin has had, for the past 55 years, one very singular objective: saving the lives of patients.” To that end, not just the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert hospital benefit from the Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin. The non-profit organization is the only provider of blood for hospitals in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, Waukesha, Walworth, Ozaukee, Washington, Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties. It also provides all the blood for Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, St. Michael's Hospital in Stevens Point, Flambeau Hospital in Park Falls, Aurora Bay Care Medical Center in Green Bay, St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac and Waupun Memorial Hospital. “Our commitment,” says Gnerlich, “is to provide the best services possible to our hospital customers and physicians in our communities and beyond.”

More Than Just A Blood Bank
“The Blood Center is more than a traditional blood bank,” Gnerlich emphasizes. “It is a multi-dimensional transfusion medicine organization.” The Center has several divisions, each fulfilling the Center’s mission to “improve people’s lives through developing and providing innovative science and service.” Divisions include:

• Blood Services, which oversees the collection and distribution of blood and blood products to hospitals throughout Wisconsin. The division recruits new donors, handles customer service operations and contains the Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories.
• The world-renowned Blood Research Institute, involving over 90 scientists and technologists, all working to improve the ways in which transfusion patients are cared for.
• Diagnostic Laboratories, the department that tests blood samples from all over the country and develops new methods of testing. The Labs also perform on-site transfusions for Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.
• Medical Services, a team of health care providers dedicated to stem cell collection, plasma and red blood cell exchanges, and, in cooperation with the Great Lakes Hemophilia Foundation, patients with bleeding disorders. This division also oversees all the medical aspects of the Blood Center.

In addition, Rod Gnerlich points out a variety of non-traditional relationships with customers and communities that augment the blood collection and distribution services. The Blood Center's Marrow Donor Program, for instance, was the precursor to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Today, as part of the network of NMDP donor center programs, The Blood Center Marrow Donor program is third in the nation in matched donors, averaging 10-12 matches for transplant per year. More than 29,000 men and women on the NMDP National Registry have joined through the Blood Center.

Donating Is Quick and Easy
It’s not difficult to donate blood, it’s safe, and it generally takes less than an hour of the donor’s time. A mini-physical is given first, during which blood pressure, pulse, temperature and the iron content of the donor’s blood are measured. Blood Center staff members ask that donors are at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and are not currently ill. They take a brief medical history, including a number of questions related to the safety of each individual’s blood. All donors are then given the opportunity to anonymously request that the Blood Center not use their blood. After donation, the Center tests all blood for several infectious diseases, including Hepatitis B and C, HIV, HTLV and syphilis. These extra safety and confidentiality measures help ensure a safe blood supply.

There are 11 blood donation sites in 8 Wisconsin counties, and over 85 mobile blood drives take place each month. Individuals may donate whole blood six times per year, platelets up to 24 times per year, plasma 12 times per year, and double red cells 3 times per year. Every month, blood donations give thousands of Americans a second chance at life, and a life is saved by a blood transfusion every 3 seconds.

We all assume that if and when we need blood products, they will be there. But even the best doctor in the best facility in the world can’t save the life of someone who desperately needs blood if the blood is not available. So make an appointment, roll up your sleeve, and give blood today. It’s never been more important to become a donor.

P.J. Early
HealthLink Contributing Writer

To become a blood donor, financial supporter of blood research, volunteer or mobile drive host at your business, church, school or organization, call 1-877-BE A HERO (232-4376). Visit the Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin website at www.bloodcenter.com.

This article includes information from:
The Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Each year, Medical College of Wisconsin physicians care for more than 180,000 patients, representing nearly 500,000 patient visits. Medical College physicians practice at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, and many other hospitals and clinics in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.