| Armed Services Blood Program Newsletter |
13 October 2009 |
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From the Desk of:
COL Francisco Rentas, Director, ASBPO
This month's newsletter gives you a sneak peak at the ASBP Workshop agenda for the 2009 AABB annual meeting in New Orleans. A Marine Sgt. opens with his story of survival, bringing into stark relief the criticality of the blood banker's mission. And we will bestow the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award in military blood banking on two of the industry's most well known and highly respected scientists. I look forward to seeing many of you there.
This issue also highlights the many ways our blood donor recruiters and blood donors continue to support our mission as the holiday season nears. This time of year can prove challenging for blood collections and so I encourage everyone to continue your support of this important cause - to provide quality blood products and services for all worldwide customers in peace and war - and during the holidays.
Warm regards,
COL Francisco Rentas
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ASBP Blood Bankers Participate at the Annual AABB Meeting in New Orleans
A Day Filled with Presentations, Personal Accounts, and Awards
The AABB annual meeting will be held in New Orleans this year, welcoming a very special group of blood bankers. The Armed Services Blood Program will have the floor on Saturday, October 24, where some of the military blood banking's top leaders will present on their topics of expertise.
Colonel (Dr.) Greg Beilman, Chief, Division of Surgical Critical Care and Trauma, and Professor of Surgery/Anesthesia at the University of Minnesota, will speak about the Joint Theater Trauma System. As the blood bank liaison to the Afghan National Army in Kabul, Afghanistan, from 2008-2009, Lieutenant Jonathan Hoiles will talk about the support of the Afghan Military Blood Program by the U.S. Navy.
MAJ Matthew Swingholm, Commander of the 440th Blood Support Detachment, out of Fort Sam Houston, TX, will follow with a presentation on the Blood Support Detachment in Afghanistan; and Lieutenant Colonel (Dr.) Jeremy Perkins, United States Army Medical Corps, will discuss transfusion medicine at the Combat Support Hospital.
Concluding the day's events, is the presentation of two, first-ever Armed Services Blood Program Lifetime Achievement Awards in Military Blood Banking. Established this year, the ASBP Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes outstanding individuals in the field of blood banking whose accomplishments have had a transformative effect on blood banking in the military. This year's distinguished honorees exemplify, by their lifelong accomplishments, and tireless dedication, the very spirit of this award. Congratulations to Captain (Ret.) C. Robert Valeri, U.S. Navy, and Colonel (Ret.) Anthony J. Polk, U.S. Army, on their well-deserved awards.
We are excited about this year's agenda and can't wait to share it with everyone. We hope to see many of you in New Orleans! |
March Air Force Reserve Base Donates Over 80 Units
A Recruiter's Account
 The March Air Force Reserve Base blood drive was a significant event for us at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD). It is the farthest distance we have traveled away from the donor center to conduct a blood drive since I came here over eight years ago. There were many obstacles to jump over to make this drive happen, so I am pleased that the turnout was so good.
The donors kept on coming in spite of the high heat (it was over 100 degrees that day) and waited so patiently, it was a testimony to the level of support they gave us. They really wanted to support the troops! Our second bloodmobile was also key to the success of the blood drive. I am so glad that our Division Head, LT Borders, had the foresight to give the go ahead to acquire the old Portsmouth bloodmobile.
The huge success of this blood drive paved the way for us to be able to do more long distance blood drives in the future. Even though it was only two hours away, it was a start. Someday we may even be able to plan something more than just two hours away. We have also never held a blood drive with the Air Force (Reserves) before. So there were a lot of firsts for us.
Someone who really helped me recruit was Capt. Ruiz, who came up with an additional 40 to 50 sign-ups in one week. I also appreciate all the advice from other recruiters who gave me the extra push to make this blood drive such a success. This blood drive has made the transition into the more difficult collection months that much easier. The Public Affairs Officer at March Air Force Base, Capt. Norris, has written a great article about the blood drive, as well.
Best,
Doreen Rekoski, Blood Donor Recruiter, NMCSD |
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Stuttgart Military Community Sets New Blood Donation High-Mark
The Landstuhl Team Fights the End-of-Summer Donation Drop
Last holiday season the Girl Scouts from Troop 700 in Kaiserslautern, Germany put out a call for all to donate blood. Their efforts were not only caught on video, but they also inspired donors to give blood to our men and women in uniform. This holiday season, the Stuttgart, Germany, military community hosted two blood drives recently and set a new record for blood collections for the community. A long overdue blood drive, as it has been several years since their last, Kelley Barracks made up for lost time and turned out more than 70 donors! The next day's blood drive at the Patch Barracks Fitness Center followed in the footsteps of Kelley Barracks with more than 80 donors showing up for a whopping total of 70 units collected.
Ltc. Robert Hill of EUCOM, there to donate his eighth unit of whole blood making him a One Gallon donor, put it this way, "When you give blood it supports your community. Living in Europe, though, I feel a professional responsibility to give blood for our troops downrange and at Landstuhl Hospital. I feel like I'm contributing to the fight by helping ensure our wounded have what they need when they need it. It's that simple." To read the entire account of how the Landstuhl Blood Donor Center was able to collect a total of 117 units of blood, when blood donations have slowed significantly since the summer weeks, visit the ASBP Web site. |
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Military Blood Donor Recruiters Take on Holiday Blood Challenge
ASBP Recruiters Get Creative During the Holiday Months
 There has been a lull in donations over the summer holidays for many Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) donor centers, and the upcoming holiday season promises to continue the trend. Fall and winter holidays bring cold weather, at least to some areas, which can keep donors home, but also ushers in those seasonal trips to gather with friends and family. In fact, during various periods from late October through January, many trainees are sent on leave, and entire bases reduce staff and go on a holiday schedule. Sadly, though, when blood is needed, it's always critical, and it's never convenient. And so the military looks to its blood donor recruiters who use new, along with tried-and-true tactics, to get donors in the door...read the complete story on the ASBP Web site.
We thank our friends at the Military Health System Public Affairs office who picked up ASBP's accounts of recruiter best practices and published our story on their official U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System Web site. |
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Blood Donor Center Profile
 Fort Bragg, NC
The Fort Bragg Blood Donor Center is staffed by 40 employees to include Army Reserve, Contract, and Government Service personnel. The mission of the donor center is to provide blood product collection, processing, storage, and testing for military medical treatment facilities in the Southeast region, while providing unwavering support for the War on Terror. Blood Donor RecruiterLinda Ellerbe, (910) 396-9925 DID YOU KNOW? Jim and Linda Parker are coming to visit! As the second part of their project, to donate blood at all ASBP blood donor centers in the United States, Jim and Linda will be visiting Fort Bragg on December 28, 2009 to donate whole blood. Their visit at the end of December is highly anticipated as holidays and cold weather keep some donors from donating.
In the meantime, however, Fort Bragg's blood collection team has a solid plan: Because of the high deployment rate at Fort Bragg the mobile team travels 15 to 20 days a month collecting blood at Fort Jackson, GA Fort Eustis, VA, Fort Lee, VA, Charleston, SC, and throughout North Carolina. Fort Bragg Blood Donor Center efforts support the Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Knox, and other medical treatment facilities within the Department of Defense.
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