Greetings everyone! Welcome to our September issue of Focal Point. First, you will read about my recent trip to Dover Air Force Base where I had the opportunity to personally thank the service members for their donations and for their steadfast support of the ASBP; and further, to show my gratitude to the staff members of the ASBBC-Bethesda who made the long commute to conduct the blood drive.

You will also read about the opportunity I had to recognize Naval Hospital Jacksonville staff members for their hard work in setting up a Frozen Blood Depot to support operations in the southern hemisphere. We also take a look at the ASBP's role in the Ethiopia Blood Safety Strategic Meeting and the 2014 PACOM Conference, and we congratulate Navy Cmdr. Leslie Riggs, director of the Navy Blood Program, on his recent promotion.

Lastly, we check in with the Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune Blood Donor Center to see which executive officer is donating platelets, and Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Joshua Montgomery provides another excellent update from the 379th Blood Support Detachment currently deployed in Afghanistan.

As always, please accept my heartfelt thanks to all of the donors, volunteers, staff members and supporters of the Armed Services Blood Program. It is because of your generosity and hard work that we are able to save the lives of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines worldwide. Keep up the great work and let us know what you are up to. We want to hear from you. You all are the Armed Services Blood Program!

Respectfully,

Capt. Roland Fahie

Navy Capt. Roland Fahie, ASBP director, and Navy Cmdr. Leslie Riggs, director of the Navy Blood Program, visited the Frozen Blood Depot at Naval Hospital Jacksonville in Florida Sept. 1-3. The purpose of the visit was to thank staff members there for their support of the ASBP and the dedication they showed while standing up the depot. Read more.See more photos. 

Navy Cmdr. Leslie Riggs, director of the Navy Blood Program, was promoted from lieutenant commander Aug. 31 during a promotion ceremony in Morehead City, N.C. Navy Capt. Roland Fahie, administered the oath of office and spoke at the event. Capt. Fahie thanked Riggs for his service and dedication to the ASBP and the U.S. Navy. Riggs, pictured here with his family after the promotion ceremony, served as the ASBP deputy director of policy from 2012 to 2014.  

Navy Cmdr. Leslie Riggs thanked Mr. Domingo Capistrano, quality assurance officer at the Naval Hospital Jacksonville Frozen Blood Depot, for his dedication the ASBP during a recent visit to the hospital. Capistrano was an instrumental member of the team that stood up the Frozen Blood Depot in January 2014. Riggs and Navy Capt. Roland Fahie, director of the ASBP, traveled to Jacksonville, Fla., to thank staff members at the depot for their hard work over the last few years. 

Navy Capt. Roland Fahie, ASBP director, and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jonathan Hoiles, director of the U.S. Pacific Command Armed Services Blood Bank Center in Okinawa, Japan, traveled to Ethiopia Aug. 24-29 to participate in the Ethiopia Blood Safety Strategic Meeting. Fahie and Hoiles met with leaders of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, U.S. Embassy Ethiopia Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and the Department of Defense United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Also attending the meeting was ENDF Brig. Gen. Tesfay Gidey (sitting at desk, in white), director general of the ENDF Health Main Directorate, and Dr. Daniels (sitting at desk, in gray suit), director of the national blood transfusion services in Ethiopia. The goal was to develop a national blood policy that combines the national civilian blood program and the military defense forces blood program. The ASBP is assisting Hoiles in his capacity as the DOD representative to the PEPFAR blood safety program in Ethiopia. By the end of the trip, both Gidey and Daniels signed a document outlining the new collaboration between the civilian and military programs.

ASBP Discusses Strategic Objectives at 2014 PACOM Conference

Changes in medicine have eliminated the need for millions of blood transfusions, which is good news for patients; but the trend is causing civilian blood collection agencies to consolidate as blood transfusions continue to decline.