Our donors have requested a FAQ (frequently asked question) sheet about many aspects of blood donation and the Puget Sound Blood Center. In response to that request we have compiled a set of questions and answers. Feel free to ask our staff for more information on any of the topics.
Southwest Washington Blood Program is a division of the Puget Sound Blood Center. Puget Sound Blood Center is an independent, volunteer-supported, nonprofit community resource that has been serving patients in the Puget Sound area for more than 60 years and plays a key role in the healthcare network in Western Washington and across the Northwest.
The Blood Program and Blood Center meet community needs through the generosity of dedicated volunteer donors and volunteers who help in other ways. The Southwest Washington Blood Program was established with the sole purpose of servicing the residents of Clark and Cowlitz counties. The opening of a new local office near downtown Vancouver, collections staff that work and live in the region, and the arrival of a new 40 ft. bloodmobile will help create awareness for our life-saving blood program. We plan to open a Blood Collection Center in the future.
Patients in your community rely on volunteers in your community to donate blood to support the blood supply. For nearly ten years the Blood Center has provided blood services for the Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver and St. John Medical Center in Longview. In addition, beginning in June 2005, we also have the pleasure of being the provider of blood components to the new Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.
We need your help to meet the growing need in Southwest Washington. By donating blood and time through the Southwest Washington Blood Program you will help ensure this critical resource is available for family, friends and neighbors in your community and in Western Washington. Each year, about 9,500 donors will be needed to support patients in Southwest Washington. Currently, there is a large gap between the number of donations made in your community and the number of transfusions needed.
Southwest Washington Blood Program is a part of one of the worlds most respected centers for blood services and transfusion medicine. In addition to providing a stable supply of high-quality blood components in the most cost-effective manner, your community Blood Program also is recognized worldwide for research, medicine, blood and tissue services. These include a comprehensive scope of valued services, such as specialty laboratories to assist in diagnosing and treating bleeding patients and transfusion and transplantation medicine experts available 24 hours a day to consult with physicians in your medical centers when needed. Physicians who direct the Blood Center are professors of medicine at the University of Washington, providing education of high quality and value to improve patient care.
For more than 60 years, Puget Sound Blood Center has been a model community blood program — serving patients and donors in 15 counties of Washington State. The Blood Center provides all the blood components needed by patients in our region with blood donated by local volunteers. The Puget Sound Blood Center is not affiliated with the American Red Cross in Portland and Clark County.
The nonprofit Blood Center has a long and unique tradition of blending community volunteerism, medical science and research to improve patients’ lives. The organization directly affects the lives of over half million patients annually in more than 70 hospitals and clinics in Washington State and provides tissue and transplantation support to 185 hospitals across the Northwest.
Yes. Only sterile, disposable supplies are used throughout the donation procedure, making it virtually impossible to contract a disease from donating blood. We want the donation process to be as safe and pleasant as possible for the donor. Many of the questions we ask during the health-screening interview help ensure that the donation is healthy for the donor as well as the patient who may receive the blood.
Multiple levels of safeguards make blood transfusion safer than ever before. Like all blood programs in the nation, we are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and follow strict procedures for ensuring the safety of the community’s blood supply. These procedures include a comprehensive evaluation of the donor’s medical and social history; a brief physical exam; strict donation procedures using sterile supplies; and laboratory testing.
Since 1985, when a blood test for HIV became available, no patient has reported contracting HIV from blood provided by the Puget Sound Blood Center.
The first priority of the Southwest Washington Blood Program and Puget Sound Blood Center is to supply blood components to local patients in Western Washington. We do not collect excess amounts of blood solely for the purpose of exporting it to other parts of the country. Each year the majority of patients receiving transfusions rely on blood donated to your community blood center. Patients need blood for a variety of reasons, including trauma, transplants and surgery, cancer treatments, burns and other illnesses and injuries. The majority of transfusions for patients in Washington are provided through our program.
By holding blood drives or providing volunteer support, your organization makes a vital resource available to patients whose lives depend on it. Sponsoring blood drives demonstrates your commitment to the health and welfare of the community and helps boost enthusiasm for volunteerism within your organization. You will be serving patients in your community medical centers who rely on Southwest Washington Blood Program to meet their patient’s needs. Your organization will work side-by-side with your colleagues: major corporations, family-owned businesses, schools and other organizations in Western Washington who are part of this lifesaving effort.
If you have donation or other health related questions unanswered by the information above, please contact our Clinical Program.
