LifeSouth Community Blood Centers
Our non-profit at a glance
Mission Statement
To provide a safe blood
supply that meets or
exceeds the needs in each
community we serve, and
to provide a variety of
services in support of
ongoing and emerging
blood and transfusion
related activities.
Nancy Eckert, CEO/President
• As President and CEO, Nancy is
appointed by the LifeSouth Board of
Directors and is a non-voting, exofficio member of the board and all
committees
• As President and CEO, Nancy is
responsible for implementing policies
and directives promulgated by the
board. In this capacity, Nancy
assumes full authority and
accountability for the efficiency and
ongoing success of the organization
History
• Founded in 1974 to serve three local
Gainesville community hospitals
• Local civic club members – Civitan Club personally signed the note for $50,000
loan to open the blood center
• Growth of the community blood bank
through partnerships with hospitals
LifeSouth Today
• Collect, test and distribute more than 800
units of blood each day – approximately
275,000 annually
• Provide approximately 330,000 units to
hospitals each year to meet patient needs
• Serve over 100 medical facilities in the
Southeastern US
• 30 collections sites
• 38 bloodmobiles & 70 transport vehicles
Daily Operations
• 363 days a year collect
blood through community
blood drives
– Rely heavily on
community and business
partners to meet the
needs of our local
hospitals
• 363 days a year test and
process into needed blood
components
• 365 days a year – 24/7
deliver blood to community
hospitals
Florida
• Gainesville - District Hub
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–
–
–
Chiefland - 1997
Lake City - 1980
Palatka - 1993
Alachua - May 2009
• Brooksville - District Hub - 1987
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Ocala - 1987
Lecanto - 1983
Inverness - 1993
Dunnellon - 2007
Georgia
• Atlanta – District Hub - 1995
– Gainesville - 1997
– McDonough - 2008
Alabama
• Huntsville – District Hub - 2002
– Sheffield - 2008
– Albertville - 2004
– Decatur - 2004
• Birmingham – District Hub - 1994
– Alabaster – 2007
Alabama
• Montgomery – District
Hub - 1998
– Dothan - 2003
– Opelika - 1995
• Mobile – District Hub 2007
– Daphne - 2008
Blood Center Funding
• LifeSouth charges hospitals a service fee for each
unit of blood
• The processing fee covers the cost of recruiting,
collecting, testing, storing and transporting blood
components
• There’s no charge associated with what’s actually
“in the bag”
• Processing fees cover the costs associated with
providing a safe and adequate blood supply
Why is Blood Donation So Important?
• Every 3 seconds someone needs a blood
transfusion
• Blood must be donated, tested and provided to
the hospital before it is needed
• 32,000 pints of blood are needed each day
• Each donation can help save 3 or more lives
• Patients only receive a transfusion if their life
depends on it
Types of Blood Donations
• Whole blood
– Can be donated every 8 weeks
– Is separated into components at LifeSouth
– Helps 2-4 different patients
• Apheresis
– Collection of specific blood components
– Can donate platelets every 14 days
Types of Donations
• Double Red Cells
– Collection of red cells only
– Can donate every 16 weeks
Whole Blood Donation
• The most common way to donate
• Actual donation time of 5-15 minutes
• Allow 45 to 60 minutes for registration, health
interview, donation and refreshments
• Blood is usually separated into red cells, platelets
and plasma to help multiple patients
Apheresis Donation
• Automated collection process that can separate
components as they are donated
• Can provide a full patient dose of platelets for
transfusion
• Can also provide plasma and/or red cells
• Allow 2 hours for donation process
Double Red Cell Donation
• Automated collection process
• Provides two full patient doses of red cells for
transfusion
• Donation time is approximately 30 minutes
Levels of Community Blood Needs
• Urgent- We have less than 1 day supply of blood on
our shelves and our hospitals have less than 5 days
of supply
• Critical- We have less than 1 day supply of blood and
our hospitals have less than 2 days of supply
• Emergency-We have less than 1 day supply of blood
and our hospitals have less than 1 day supply and
elective surgeries are being cancelled or
rescheduling
Who Can Donate?
• Donors must be 17 or older, (16-year-olds may
donate with written parental permission)
• Donors must weigh 110 pounds or more
• Donors must show I.D.
• Donors must be in general good health
• Each potential donor has a “mini-physical” to check
vital signs, iron level and health history
• All donors receive a recognition item and a
cholesterol screening
Who Needs Blood?
• Trauma patients
• Cancer patients
• Transplant recipients
• Surgical patients
• People with blood diseases
and disorders such as Sickle
Cell Disease
What is Sickle Cell Disease?
Genetic abnormality of
hemoglobin production
– Hemoglobin in red blood
cells carries oxygen
– Normal hemoglobin is
called hemoglobin A (for
adult)
– Sickle hemoglobin is called
hemoglobin S
Complications of Sickle Cell Disease
• Shortened red blood cell
life 
Jaundice, gallstones
• Clumping of sickled cells
– Acute pain syndrome
– Stroke
– Acute chest syndrome
– Splenic sequestration
(painful) 
“Autosplenectomy”
– Hand-foot syndrome
– Delayed growth
– Liver disease
• Leg ulcers
• Pregnancy complications
– Intrauterine growth
– Retardation
– Spontaneous
abortion
– Pre-eclampsia
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Acute and chronic renal
failure
• Blindness
• Chronic pain
• Life expectancy is 40 to
50 years of age
Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease
• Reducing pain
– OTC meds and heating pads for mild-moderate pain
– Hospitalization with narcotics and fluid administration for
severe pain
• Preventing complications
– Daily doses of penicillin
– Hydroxyurea
• Long-term treatments:
– Blood transfusions (most common)
– Bone marrow or cord blood transplants if a match is found
Blood Types Needed for Sickle Cell Patients
• O Positive/Negative Donors with Special Antigens
•Ethnically Diverse
• Blood that has been drawn within the last 7 Days
preferred
• Only 6% of the population has this type of blood
Donors with this type of blood are
considered Sickle Cell Heroes
LifeSouth’s Efforts to Support
Sickle Cell Patients
• Identify/recruit blood donors as Sickle Cell
Heroes to match up with specific patients
• Make available cord blood units or bone
marrow donors for transplantation
FUTURE HOPE:
• Perform molecular typing of all patients and
have enough donors to provide identically
‘matched’ blood to patients who can’t be
transplanted
Cord Blood & Bone Marrow
• Cord Blood and bone marrow have been
used to CURE Sickle Cell in children
• Research is ongoing for transplants for
adults
• The cord blood or bone marrow from a
donor is implanted in a patient and new,
healthy blood grows in the patient,
replacing their diseased blood
What is LifeCord?
•
•
•
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Accredited Public Cord Blood bank established in 1997
Founded to make transplants possible for everyone in need
Adheres to the highest standards of quality and safety
Ensures the safety of each donation for both mom and baby
Protects the confidentiality of personal and family medical
history
Five Points of Life
Creating a Donation Generation
Objective
To educate the public on the ways to share
life with others through donation with a
focus on school age children and young
adults to create a Donation Generation.
Our Vision
• Imagine a world where every eligible donor gives
blood, joins the marrow registry, talks to their family
about organ donation and learns more about cord
blood donation
• Imagine every school age child is educated on the
importance of donation so when they are eligible to
donate, they will donate and become the “Donation
Generation”
• Five Points of Life aims to change the world. Imagine
never having a blood shortage or waiting on a list for
a lifesaving donation
Initiatives
•Kids Marathons
•Five Points of Life in the Classroom
•Fundraising for Marrow
Kids Marathons
How This Helps LifeSouth
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•
•
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Good opportunity to work with schools
Media
Great community event
Blood drives will follow
Field trip to LifeSouth’s Civitan Region in Gainesville, Fla.
FPOL in the Classroom
• Education curriculum and materials
cover the five points of life with a strong
focus on blood
• Field trip option
• Not only about science, but also social
responsibility
• Goal to reach 55,000 kids by December
2012
Benefits
Advisory Council Mission
The mission of the council is to grow
LifeSouth Community Blood Center’s
blood collections in the local
community.
What do we expect from you?
• Give local management input from the community, provide
advice in a field of expertise and commit to helping LifeSouth
increase blood donations in said community
• Recruit blood donors to support its local community’s needs
through the establishment of blood drives, obtaining
appropriate media coverage, networking with other
community leadership and businesses, assisting with the
promotion and awareness of the Five Points of Life programs
and through communication with the local medical
community
• Actively participate in Council meetings and events that
support LifeSouth and Five Points of Life
Remember the Reason
Connecting
our donors
to our
patients