NEWS & NOTES

Bonfils Keeps Hospital Partners' Blood Supplies Steady During Holiday Blizzards

Although blood collections were suspended for nearly four days as a result of two late December blizzards across the Front Range, Bonfils' essential operations continued by testing, producing and distributing blood products for our healthcare partners. We are pleased to report that all of our Colorado partners' blood product needs were met during the storms. Due to the blood drive cancellations and center closures, Bonfils estimated a loss of more than 2,300 units of blood over a four-day-period. Yet, thanks to many generous blood donors in our community, Bonfils collected nearly 2,800 units of blood between Dec. 21 and Dec. 31, 2006.

Pre-Storage Pooled Cryoprecipitated AHF

Bonfils is committed to providing high-quality products that assist your facility in achieving positive patient outcomes. We are pleased to announce that we are developing a process to produce and provide a pre-stored, pooled cryoprecipitated AHF. We estimate that the product will be available to our hospital partners at the beginning of the second quarter of 2007. A pre-stored pooled cryoprecipitated AHF product will offer multiple benefits such as quicker response times in emergent situations and the elimination of the need to pool cryo products at the hospital blood bank. Bonfils will notify clients when the new product is available.

FDA Approves Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics' Chagas Disease Test

On Dec. 13, 2006, the FDA approved a new test to screen blood donors for a blood-borne parasite that causes Chagas disease, a serious and potentially fatal parasitic infection. Concerns about the potential for transfusion and organ transmitted Chagas disease in the United States have heightened due to the increase in the number of U.S. residents who previously lived in countries where the infection is common. This new test identifies infected donors and therefore can reduce the risk of disease transmission through blood transfusion or organ transplantation.

Bonfils is currently evaluating recommendations from both AABB and America's Blood Centers and will keep clients informed as to an implementation timeline for the Chagas screening. Current information about Chagas and the new test is available on the Centers for Disease Control Web site.

Bonfils Achieves ISO Re-certification

Representatives from Orion, an accredited ISO Registrar, performed a recertification audit at Bonfils' headquarters in October 2006. Bonfils was first registered to ISO 9002:1994 in 1998 and then upgraded to the newest standard in 2003. Bonfils' standards and practices continue to meet or exceed ISO quality standards therefore Orion's assessors recommended the blood center be recertified to ISO 9001:2000 designation -- a standard for quality management which requires certain elements to be in place within a company with a focus on customer satisfaction, process controls and continuous improvement.

Drive for Life IX Breaks Attendance Records

Denver Broncos fans rolled up their sleeves at Drive for Life IX held Oct. 24 at INVESCO Field at Mile High. A record-breaking 2,896 people, including 597 first-time donors, attended Colorado's largest single-day blood drive and donated 1,872 units of blood to support patients in need. Bonfils' Colorado Marrow Donor Program was also successful in registering 230 potential marrow donors to the National Marrow Donor Registry.

Donors enjoyed the opportunity to meet Denver Broncos players, cheerleaders and alumni including Rod Smith, John Lynch, Nate Jackson, Jay Cutler, Karl Mecklenburg, Dominique Foxworth and more.  Donors also received stadium food, a free event t-shirt and lapel pin and raffle prizes from area businesses.

Drive for Life has hosted more than 17,000 blood donors in its nine years and continues to be a premier event for the blood center.

  Have any feedback or comments about this issue of Connections? Please let us know.