VALLEY LIFE BLOOD
Central california blood center
The Central California Blood Center (CCBC) provides blood and services to hospitals within the five counties it serves: Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, and Tulare. “Central California Blood Center is committed to saving lives and improving patient care by providing a safe and abundant blood supply for the patients and families in the communities we serve,” professes their mission statement. Anywhere from 5,000 to 6,000 pints of blood must be collected monthly to meet patient needs in the Central Valley.
Regions have only one blood bank. “Blood banks collect blood for hospitals, and then hospitals pay a fee: the cost of collecting, recruiting, and processing the blood. This is how it is in the country,” from small independent blood banks to nationally recognized names, such as the American Red Cross, explains Christopher Staub, President and CEO of the Central California Blood Center.
Yet the history of blood banking is much younger than many may realize. The tremendous success of drawn blood used to treat combat injuries during World War II inspired doctors to bring the treatment back to the Central Valley after their service, though the supply at local hospitals could not keep up with the demand. A committee from the Fresno County Medical Society formed in response to the Central Valley’s need between 1946 and 1947, with the Valley Blood Bank opening a couple years later. At the urging of the California Medical Association’s Blood Bank Commission, the Central California Blood Bank opened its doors in 1954—the name change to Central California Blood Center came in 1995.
Expansion dictated the necessity for larger facilities and more locations over the years. Today, four donation centers facilitate the CCBC’s work, located in Northwest Fresno, Central Fresno, North Fresno, and Visalia. The Northwest Fresno location, named the Jenny Eller Donor Center, opened as the Central California Blood Center’s headquarters in 2009, where the “bus barn” houses its bloodmobiles. Five mobile collection units will also travel to work sites, schools, and other such locations for blood drive events throughout the Central Valley.
Since the origin of blood banking, “It was always about collecting whole blood, and platelets and plasma,” recounts Staub. Over the years, increasing costs of healthcare operations trickled down to the blood banks. Of those who maintained the traditional trifecta of blood offerings, many were forced to consolidate, some were absorbed by larger organizations, others went out of business entirely. But those who found innovative revenue streams (that were simultaneously mission-compatible) were able to not only push on, but also advance the technology of blood banking services.
Staub has been on the lookout for contacts and collaborators to help advance the sustainability of blood banking and the advent of new cures and treatments for blood diseases since before joining the Central California Blood Center. His foresight for what the future of blood banking would require led to the CCBC partnering with biotech companies, “most notably with Cerus Corporation. Based in Concord, California, they are an international company that has developed procedures for making blood safer,” says Staub, and they need blood for clinical trials in order to get US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Being a local organization with nimble leadership, using the CCBC (as opposed to a mammoth organization such as the American Red Cross) was an ideal partnership for Cerus. “By reaching out and partnering in ways that traditional blood banks would never have done, we were able to find niche business lines.”
One of those, begun almost two years ago, was the collection of pathogen-reduced red blood cells. Using a process developed by Cerus, the CCBC is essentially able to treat them so that if a virus, bacteria, or parasite was in the blood inadvertently, it would be destroyed. “We have been making a limited number of red cells pathogen-reduced for FDA-approved Phase III clinical trials in the United States,” shares Staub. “We are one of only two blood centers in the country that has this agreement with Cerus to make these pathogen-reduce red cells.” As a four-year project, it is bringing the CCBC about $1.5 million—more than an increase in revenue, it’s an example of how innovation helps set the Central California Blood Center apart from other average blood banks to being nationally recognized as one of the most forward-thinking small to mid-size blood centers in the country.
In February, the FDA asked blood centers to begin collecting plasma from recovered coronavirus survivors, and the CCBC eagerly obliged. Based on how other viruses are deactivated, “If you treat a patient with antibodies from a recovered person, you can neutralize viruses,” rationalizes Staub. “It’s a basic biological principal that has shown to work in other viruses.” People who have recovered from coronavirus develop virus antibodies, which remain in the plasma portion of their blood. Once collected from a recovered COVID-19 patient, the product is referred to as convalescent plasma.
Introducing the COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Program is another prime example of how the CCBC stands at the forefront of blood technology and applicational advancement. Though not required by the FDA to be pathogen-reduced, they are the first blood center in the United States to produce pathogen-reduced COVID-19 convalescent plasma. It’s experimental, but the FDA approved the treatment for use on an emergency basis as an expanded access protocol.
Transfusing convalescent plasma into a person who is still fighting coronavirus could help boost the patient’s immune system and potentially aide their recovery. The convalescent plasma collections made by the CCBC (at the North Fresno and Visalia locations) are used by hospitals both locally and nationally for severely ill coronavirus patients. Those who have recovered can participate in the COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Program by completing the Donor Eligibility Form available on the CCBC website.
By collecting convalescent plasma, the Central California Blood Center is doing their part to fight the coronavirus pandemic, yet those recipients are not the only people in need of the offerings they produce. Sickness, surgery, injury, and other life-threatening health issues still require blood donations. Being a donor is an easy way to gift a life-altering necessity of oneself, which in turn benefits our Central Valley community. Practically everyone knows someone who has been in need of blood at one point in their lives—from accident and burn victims, to patients battling cancer or receiving organ transplants. Do your part to make sure there is an adequate supply of blood available for your family, friends, and neighbors by donating at any one of the Central California Blood Centers, or by visiting a bloodmobile.
Blood donations require only a simple, four-step process. 1) Register using a photo identification—you’ll need to verify your name and address. 2) Submit to a mini physical and interview—both parts are kept strictly confidential, and ensure that giving blood is a healthy option for both you and a potential recipient. 3) Give your whole blood donation—this starts with a small pinch felt when the needle is inserted, though many donors feel no pain during the process. Collection of one pint of blood usually takes about 15 minutes. After the bag is filled, additional small tubes of blood are drawn for laboratory testing. 4) Relax—after your donation is made, the CCBC encourages donors to enjoy the refreshments and snacks provided (to help replenish fluids and energy) before resuming normal daily activities.
The wait time between donations varies depending on the type of donation made. Whole blood donors may give once every 56 days—this allows plenty of time for red blood cells (those that carry oxygen) to replenish, considering that they can take two weeks or longer to fully return to normal levels. Apheresis (also known as platelet) donors may donate up to twice a month—this is because the platelet and plasma components in the body are replaced more rapidly than red blood cells, with platelets and plasma actually returning to normal levels within just hours after donating. With the knowledge of your donation’s potential impact, don’t hesitate to make an appointment—in these times of great uncertainty and not always being sure of the best way to serve, you’ll enjoy the feeling of knowing that you have helped to save lives through the Central California Blood Center.
Jenny Eller Donor Center
4343 West Herndon Avenue
Fresno, CA 93722
559.389.5433
Fresno Donor Center
1196 East Shaw Avenue, Suite 102
Fresno, CA 93710
559.389.5500
North Fresno Donor Center
1010 East Perrin Avenue
Fresno, CA 93720
559.389.5600
Visalia Donor Center
2245 West Caldwell Avenue
Visalia, CA 93277
559.302.1300
www.donateblood.org
Managing Editor Lauren Barisic
Photographer JD Young
