UNC REX Healthcare Engages The Blood Connection to Ensure High-Quality Blood Supply
Non-profit organization will supply blood products for UNC REX patients and expand local donation capabilities
RALEIGH, N.C. – Nov. 20, 2017 – After more than five decades of operating its own blood service for patients at UNC REX Hospital and elsewhere, UNC REX Healthcare has engaged The Blood Connection to meet patients’ need for blood products starting in 2018.
The Blood Connection is an independent, non-profit community blood center that began collecting and supplying blood and blood products in this region in 2016. REX Blood Services’ donor center on Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh and two bloodmobiles will transition to The Blood Connection early next year. At that time, The Blood Connection also will begin providing blood products for UNC REX patients.
“We have a longstanding commitment to our community and to the patients we serve,” said Tom Williams, Vice President of Ambulatory Services at UNC REX Healthcare. “Donors and patients should share our faith and confidence that The Blood Connection will continue to supply much-needed blood services in our community. We look forward to working together for our patients to receive safe, high-quality and cost-effective blood supplies.”
Founded in 1962, The Blood Connection is among the largest independently managed, non-profit community blood centers. Its model and mission closely align with those of REX Blood Services. The Blood Connection adheres to the same high-quality standards as REX Blood Services and is regulated by the Food & Drug Administration and American Association of Blood Banks. The Blood Connection currently manages blood products and services for 32 hospitals across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
“We are excited to partner with UNC REX Healthcare to continue the strong legacy of blood services in this community,” said Delisa English, President and CEO of The Blood Connection. “REX Blood Services and The Blood Connection have very similar missions, and we believe that this partnership will be a tremendous, long-term asset for UNC REX patients and this community. We want to work with the many schools, employers, churches and others who have held drives and contributed blood products through UNC REX’s donor center and bloodmobiles.”
The Blood Connection intends to operate its own donor center in the same location as the current REX Blood Services donor center at 2709 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, across the street from UNC REX Hospital. TBC also plans to open a facility on Glenwood Avenue near Crabtree Valley Mall. TBC also will operate a fleet of six bloodmobiles, including two it will acquire from UNC REX, allowing for even more collection drives at convenient locations across the Triangle.
About UNC REX Healthcare
For more than 120 years, UNC REX Healthcare has provided expert care for the Wake County community and surrounding areas. With more than 6,400 co-workers, UNC REX is a private, not-for-profit health care system and is a member of UNC Health Care. UNC REX provides various health care services throughout Wake County with facilities in Apex, Cary, Garner, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Wakefield and downtown Raleigh. To learn more, click here.
About the Blood Connection
Founded in 1979, The Blood Connection is the largest independently managed, non-profit community blood center in the region. It recruits donors and collects blood within a 7,790 square mile area including Northwestern South Carolina, Western North Carolina and Northeastern Georgia. South Carolina counties include Greenville, Spartanburg, Union, Cherokee, Pickens, Oconee, Greenwood, McCormick, Laurens, and Newberry. The Blood Connection also collects blood in Stephens County, Georgia, as well as Polk, Henderson, Rutherford, and Buncombe Counties in North Carolina. Licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, The Blood Connection collects blood from donors through bloodmobiles, portable field units, and fixed donation sites. The company holds approximately twelve blood drives every day and collects over 120,000 units of blood, platelets and plasma each year to connect volunteer blood donors, hospitals, and patients needing life-saving transfusions. For more information, contact The Blood Connection or visit thebloodconnection.org.
