TRANSFUSION SERVICE RECEIVES ACCREDITATION

Blood transfusion services at Saint Joseph's Hospital and Marshfield Clinic recently received formal accreditation from the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB).

The accreditation specifically applies to Transfusion Service Activities and Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell (HPC) Activities. The two-year accreditation ensures that the Marshfield services meet or exceed national Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services for quality and safety in collecting, processing, testing, distributing and administering blood and blood products.

Experts in blood banking and transfusion medicine develop the Standards. Standards are based on good medical practice and, when available, scientific data, principles associated with good manufacturing practices and quality assurance which are consistent with FDA regulations. These standards, along with the requirements specified in the Accreditation Information Manual have provided the basis for the AABB Accreditation Program.

The accreditation is voluntary. AABB is an international, not-for-profit association dedicated to the advancement of science and the practice of transfusion medicine and related biological therapies. The association is committed to improving health by developing and delivering standards, accreditation and educational programs and services that optimize patient and donor care and safety.

Saint Joseph's Hospital is one of only a few hospitals in Wisconsin that offer hematopoietic progenitor cell (bone marrow) transplant. The transplant program was also the first program to receive voluntary accreditation by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy. The transplant and transfusion programs want to assure the people they serve that they are receiving the best and safest care available. Transfusion services at Saint Joseph's Hospital works with the Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin to provide blood products for people who have special needs such as having the products treated before the person receives the transfusion or being able to provide platelets (the part of the blood that helps to stop people from bleeding) that are more closely matched to the person receiving them than would normally be needed.

Since its beginning, the multidisciplinary program, with four transplant physicians, has been able to decrease the length of hospital stays, and manage patients longer as outpatients. Patients are able to stay at Hope Lodge while coming in for outpatient infusions on the Hospital's Oncology Unit.

The program performs approximately 20 transplants per year for diseases such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma.