From the Desk Of:
Navy Capt. Roland Fahie, Director, ASBPO
Greetings!
Welcome to the June edition of Focal Point. I hope that you had a wonderful refreshing celebration during the Memorial Day holiday! You truly deserved it.
This edition, we take a look at one of the ASBP's global engagement missions that develop and expand partner relationships. I had the honor of being invited to participate in the operating room, wards, and ICUs in some of the Vietnamese military hospitals during a strategic planning visit for future ASBP support. In addition, thank you to the family members who celebrated Military Appreciation Month by donating blood in honor of their loved ones.
Last month, it was certainly an honor to officially accept two awards -- the Keith L. Ware first place award for a newsletter and the Keith L. Ware first place award for digital content from Gen. Nadja West, the Army Surgeon General. Both of these awards are a direct reflection of your many contributions, commitment and dedication to our program. I would like to especially thank the recruiters, media team and the many others who contributed to our recognition as an award winning newsletter and media team.
I am also proud to announce that the ASBP is using pathogen reduction technology for platelets and plasma. The use of the technology is officially live at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. This technology has unlimited potential and will go a long way toward helping the military blood program combat emerging blood borne pathogens such as Ebola, Zika and many others. We are excited to see where this technology takes us as it will make our blood and blood products safer. I will also continue to share the great things that are happening during our global engagement missions around the world.
My personal thanks to everyone who works so hard to ensure that the ASBP is able to continually provide blood to ill or injured service members and their families in need -- in peacetime and war, whenever and wherever.
You are the Armed Services Blood Program!
Respectfully,
Capt. Roland Fahie
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ASBP Director Visits Vietnam for Global Engagement Mission
 Navy Capt. Roland Fahie, ASBP director, traveled to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam April 1-16. While there, Fahie worked with the Vietnamese Military Medical Department, the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam and Ministry of Health officials to provide consultation and technical assistance as they restructure both the Vietnamese military and civilian blood programs to meet the challenges of new regulations issued by the Ministry of Health. Read more.
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Update: Pathogen Reduction Live at Walter Reed
 In May, the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center's apheresis section of the Armed Services Blood Bank Center in Bethesda, Md., began treating platelets collected at the donor center with the new pathogen reduction technology. Read more. |
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No Uniform Required
The ASBP Focal Point civilian hero of the month
 In support of Military Appreciation Month, family members from all over the country donated blood with the ASBP to honor their loved ones who at boot camp in Great Lakes, Ill. See more photos.
Thank you to all the amazing families who help the military blood program provide quality, safe and potent blood to our service members. |
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Picture This!
The ASBP Focal Point picture of the month
Dr. Karen Scott, chief medical officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Department of Health and Human Services, visits the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to review the first U.S. Department of Defense pathogen reduction technology. This new technology offers a significant improvement in blood safety. Pathogen reduced platelet products recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration reduce the risks from known, emerging and future transfusion-transmitted infections. This protection is especially important in today's increasingly global health care arena, where the blood supply faces threats from expanding epidemics of Chikungunya, Dengue, Zika and other emerging infectious agents. Moreover, pathogen-reduced platelets address another pressing blood safety concern and major cause of transfusion-related morbidity and mortality -- bacterial contamination. PRT reduces risk from a wide spectrum of potentially-deadly bacteria in platelets. Similarly, since PRT is a method known to reduce infectious risks from viruses, including CMV, pathogen platelets are considered CMV-safe. See more photos from her visit.
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Checkin' in with the:
Armed Services Blood Bank Center-Europe, Landstuhl, Germany
The ASBP collected blood from 48th Fighter Wing Airmen at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, May 3. Each donor is screened by a member of the ASBP team to ensure 100 percent eligibility to give blood. Blood collected by the ASBP directly supports military service members and their families in need worldwide. Read more.
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Robertson Blood Center's New Blood Mobile Ready
 A new blood donation bus sits in the parking lot in front of Fort Hood's Robertson Blood Center May 2, prior to a final operational readiness inspection. The bus will provide a climate controlled, mobile site for donor screening and blood, platelet and plasma collection and will enable the donor center staff to conduct blood drives across Fort Hood and the central Texas region. (Photo by Fort Hood Sentinel) |
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Industry News
Pathogen Reduction Decreases Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria in Ghana (Transfusion News article)
Sub-Saharan African carries the heaviest burden of malaria and transfusion transmitted infections. In Ghana, approximately 50 percent of blood donors are parasitaemic, and estimates of transfusion-transmitted malaria range from 14-28 percent. In a randomized controlled trial, recently published in The Lancet, researchers investigated the effect of the Mirasol whole blood pathogen reduction system on Plasmodium transmission. Read more.
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Pins and Pints
The ASBP Focal Point pin of the month
Wow! Look how productive this golden retriever mom is! If she can walk five babies on her own, you can do anything! Check out these great tips to boost your productivity before your next ASBP blood drive!
Find photos, recipes, articles, videos and more on Pinterest. |
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About the ASBP
The ASBP plays a key role in providing quality blood products for service members, veterans and their families in both peace and war. As a tri-service organization, the ASBP has many components working together to collect, process and store, distribute and transfuse blood worldwide. Learn more on the ASBP website.
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