January-February 2009

Ramping up blood donations
saves lives, money

Cathy Flanagan has donated the equivalent of all the blood in her body.

Four times over.

Flanagan, who works as a program administrator for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, says that the convenience of on-site blood drives at Strong makes it easy to take a break from her work to share a pint.

“I began giving in high school, a little nervous, but buoyed by the company of a friend,” Flanagan said. “Back then, I just knew it was a generous thing to do.”

Twelve years ago, Flanagan said her giving became much more personal.

“My dad suffered a heart attack and needed blood multiple times. I couldn’t help thinking how lucky we were that someone who didn’t even know us had surrendered a half hour of their time to help him,” she said. “That cemented me as a donor.”

Thanks to people like Flanagan, last year the Medical Center gathered close to 2,600 pints of blood from a combination of 10 American Red Cross (ARC) drives at the Medical Center, and additional drives held at Highland Hospital, Harris Interactive (a Rochester-based market research firm that collects in honor of URMC), Visiting Nurse Service and the Highlands of Pittsford.

To ramp up collection efforts, URMC opened a dedicated blood donor room just before Thanksgiving. With fixed hours –10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the third Friday of every month – this new space, located right off the main hospital lobby, hosts a recurring ARC drive and is open to the community.

“We were hoping to draw at least 20 extra units a month, and at our inaugural drive, we collected 24,” said Sam Liotta, an ARC senior account manager who helps coordinate URMC drives.

But the need is growing, Liotta said. “Every year the requirements climb about 5 percent.”

Debbie Masel, who supervises URMC’s Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine Unit, said that that an aging population and an array of innovative medical technologies have upped the demand for blood products. Programs like solid organ and stem cell transplant, along with advances in cardiac and orthopaedic surgery, have contributed to this increased usage.

“Patients undergoing liver transplant use as many as 10 to 15 pints of red blood cells, along with plasma and platelets; patients undergoing cardiac surgery have four to six units crossmatched and available in case they are needed” she said. “Other patient populations routinely need transfusions, including some babies in the NICU, cancer patients, and trauma victims.

Last year, at Strong Memorial Hospital alone, patients required more than 29,000 pints of red blood cells.
Masel said these blood products are expensive.

“Our budget is in the millions,” she said. “Fortunately, a few years back, the ARC began ‘Life Share’ incentives – reductions in the cost of blood products for customers who met certain goals by helping in collection efforts.”

Given the wintry economic climate, Masel noted that any discount is helpful.

“We became diligent in recruiting donors for drives, getting the word out,” Masel said.

This dedicated donor room and new monthly drive marks another attempt to nourish the community blood supply. Rather than siphon donations that URMC counts on from its existing drives, the new space is intended to offer flexibility to repeat donors who miss a giving opportunity, to attract hospital visitors who want to end their week on a generous note, and to attract tentative first-timers.

“We suspect there are a good number of people who could be convinced to try giving in the more private setting,” Masel said. “This serene space helps ensure that their first experience is a positive one. The hope is that they will become a lifetime donor.”

The rest of the month, when the room isn’t servicing the ARC collections, it facilitates autologous donations – instances when patients save their own blood to later tap for an upcoming procedure.

To set up a blood donation appointment, visit www.urmc.givesblood.org.

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