Vol. 34 No. 16 A publication of the South Central Association of Blood Banks Feb., Mar., April 2008

Hot Topic: A Grassroots Recruitment Program forAfrican-American Blood Donors

By: Libby Murphy; Daphne Terral;John Moulds, MT(ASCP)SBB; Joann Moulds, PhD, MT(ASCP)SBB

LifeShare Blood Centers, Shreveport, Louisiana

Several years ago, LifeShare Blood Center'sReference Laboratory identified sickle celldisease patients (SCD) as the largest groupbeing submitted for antibody identification andin need of specially matched units of blood. Infact, according to the American Rare DonorProgram (ARDP), approximately 33% ofrequests to ARDP are for SCD patients. Bloodwith unique combinations of blood groupfactors needed for SCD patients is found moreoften in the African-American (A-A) population.

In 2000, LifeShare began phenotyping group OA-A donors for a number of antigens. With theadvent of genotyping utilizing bead chiptechnology in 2006, LifeShare began typinggroup O A-A donors for 28 antigens.

LifeShare Blood Centers' service area is largelyrural, with only a few urban areas. According todata from the U.S. Census Bureau, A-Acomprise approximately 32% of the populationin Louisiana and Arkansas areas served byLifeShare. In Texas, that figure is approximate-ly 24%. Clearly the population base exists torealistically expect an increase in donors froma focused A-A recruiting program.

More A-A donors were needed to donateregularly, both to support the general bloodsupply and to identify those donors who aretrait-negative or have special antigen combina-tions. The question then became, “How do werecruit and retain more A-A donors?”

In June 2006, groups of A-A communityleaders in Monroe, LA, were asked to attend aluncheon meeting. There, Joann Moulds, PhD,MT(ASCP)SBB, gave a presentation about theimportance of precisely-matched blood forchronically-transfused patients, many of whom

are SCD patients. At the conclusion of themeeting, a call to action resulted in 12volunteers to serve on a grassroots committeeto develop a program for recruiting andretaining A-A donors.

In multiple meetings, the group brainstormedand debated the most effective way to educateand recruit A-A blood donors. It was agreedthat a grassroots education effort would be keyto effectively delivering the message,overcoming objections, and building credibilityfor blood donation as a positive experience.This effort was named For Us, About Us© whenone of the committee members said “thisprogram is for us and about us, so it shouldhave a name to reflect that”. This was one ofthose “a-ha!” moments when everyone realizeswhat they were looking for has been found.

The committee held meetings to discuss thecampaign's message and advised on ways toexecute the project. With the group's guidance,a comprehensive plan was finalized. This planis comprised of:

• Education materials (video and talking points)• A-A volunteers to recruit and train other A-A

volunteers (train the trainer)• Grassroots education efforts (predominantly

A-A churches, schools, fraternities and sororities, etc.)

• Branding items (specially designed logo on shirts, specialty promotional items, recognition items, etc.)

Area high school and college students wereinvited to submit designs for the program logo.After considering the submissions, an amalga-mation of several entries was decided upon thatwould clearly indicate the logo's purpose.

The advisors agreed that a brief video (under 10minutes) would be a helpful tool for bothLifeShare personnel and volunteer educators.The criteria for the video included prominentlyfeaturing A-A as donors and supporters of blooddonation and an A-A as narrator.

Hours of video tape were shot, from whichapproximately 100 video-taped segments wereselected for review by the advisors. Each seg-ment was reviewed and discussed individuallyas to the merits (or lack of) for inclusion.

(continued on page 5)

IN THIS ISSUEPresident's Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Distinguished Blood Banker . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Annual Meeting Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Journal Club Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Kathey Keeter Remembered . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Nominations for Officersand District Directors

SCABB 2008 - 2009President-Elect

Dennis Harpool, SBB(ASCP)Blood Systems, Inc.

Vice PresidentNancy Haubert, BSMT(ASCP)SBB

Blood Systems

SecretaryKirk Kitchen, MT(ASCP)SBB

Blood Systems, Inc.

TreasurerChristie Loe-Malone, MT(ASCP)SBB

District I (Texas)Susie Hart, MT(ASCP)

Pall Medical

District III (AR, LA, MS)David Gremillion, MT(ASCP)SBB, MS, HP

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center

District At LargeSara Ballew

United Blood Services

South Central Associationof Blood Banks AnnualBusiness Meeting Notice

Saturday, April 5, 2008 @ 5:15 pmHouston Marriott Westchase - Houston, Texas

All members of the association are encouraged toattend this annual meeting of the association. Please

address questions or concerns to Jim Teague,Association President, james.teague@ardenthealth.com.

WHAT? My lastPULSEarticle…already?!?!My, how time flieswhen you're havingfun. It also means theannual meeting of theassociation is upon us.If you haven't seenthe hard copy, theprogram content is

available at www.scabb.org. I look forward toseeing you at the meeting, April 3-6th, inHouston.

Please make note of the very special events ontap, listed as “Special Functions”, in both thepreliminary and final programs. In addition,you won’t want to miss the history/archivesgallery and silent auction that will be in theexhibit hall.

I am delighted and honored that the likes ofDr. Red Duke, AABB President Dan Connor,Dr. Louis Katz, Dr. Chantal Harrison and theincomparable Mr. Les McGehee will also be inattendance and will speak, at various pointsduring the meeting. Dr. Harrison and Les arethe President's Technical/Scientific andAdministrative Award Lecturers. I am thrilledabout these particular lectures, as Dr. Harrison“taught me almost everything I know aboutblood banking” and Les “taught me almosteverything I know about improv.” Yes…AND!How can you go wrong with that combina-tion?

This Annual Meeting will provide a broad-based education forum for transfusion servicestaff, hospital and blood center administrativeprofessionals and donor recruitment special-ists, as it has for 50 years. As the Associationgrows and continues its focus on education, itbecomes an irreplaceable resource for profes-sional growth, leadership cultivation, peer-to-peer resource groups and the latest tools,resources, technology and supplies.

The 2008 Annual Meeting and Exhibit Showwill be a grand celebration of the first 50 yearsof the Association and a milestone fromwhich to measure the future of theAssociation. It has been a privilege to serveas your President and I am very fortunate topreside over a program of this quality, puttogether by a tireless and talented group ofcommittee chairs and members, Board ofDirectors and Central Office. Enjoy the fruitsof their efforts!

Wade Austin update: No report this month,so you'll have to come by and say “Hi” tohim, in person, at the annual meeting inHouston!

Jim Teague, BS, SBB(ASCP)President

The Bylaws Committee (Past Presidents LindaBossard, Chris Coffin, Jim Rutledge, and chair,Elizabeth Waltman) conducted a conference callon November 8, 2008 to discuss potential bylawschanges and make recommendations to theboard. Several potential changes were discussedand in conclusion no amendments will be sub-mitted for a vote at this year's annual meeting.

Specifically, the Bylaws Committee discussed thefollowing changes:

• The option of voting rights for individual members.

The issue of individual voting rights has been dis-cussed before. At one time AABB was also lookinginto this possibility. The problems that would

arise are: a). Defining a quorum and issuingballots; b). diluting advantages of institutionalmembership; and c). new individual membershipsobtained at the annual meeting would allowvoting from members having little or noknowledge of the organization.

• Consider modifying the bylaws to include an educational institutional category

The Bylaws Committee believes the AssociateCorporate membership would be appropriatefor educational organizations. Currently, theAssociate Corporate membership is targetedfor our vendor partners, but it also allows formembership of organizations that do not fit intothe current institutional membership category.

Experience South Central’sHistory at the History & Archives Gallery

An integral part of the 50th anniversary celebration includes reflection on the history of the associationand the industry as a whole. South Central’s History & Archives committee will present a gallery ofphotos, programs, t-shirts and other memorabilia that will remind you of how far we have come in sucha short time. To help with the reminiscing, the committee invites you to bring any SCABB related itemsfrom over the past 50 years to display at the History & Archives Gallery on opening night. All items willbe returned. The gallery will be located in the Exhibit Pavilion of the Marriott.

SCABB 50thAnniversary Meeting

Houston, TexasApril 3-6, 2008

Remembering The Past – Preparing For The Future

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGEJim Teague, BS, SBB(ASCP)

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2008 Bylaws Committee Report to the MembersRespectfully, Elizabeth Waltman, Bylaws Committee Chair

Silent Auction to benefit the South CentralAssociation of Blood Banks Foundation

The Foundation for the South Central Association of Blood Banks was established in 1987 for thesole purpose of enhancing the educational goals of the South Central Association of Blood Banks.Today, 21 years later, the Foundation for SCABB continues to grow and provide financial supportto the Association in the form of annual meeting scholarships, speaker honorariums and otherprogram supplementation. A Silent Auction, to benefit the Foundation, will be held throughoutthe meeting in the Exhibit Hall. Auction items provided by exhibitors can be seen and bid on attheir exhibit booths. Auction items provided by those other than exhibitors will be in a prominentlocation to be viewed and bid on. A list of silent auction items will be available at www.scabb.org >2008 Annual Meeting in March. If you would like to donate an item or service to the silentauction, please contact the Central Office at 303-238-4145 or via email to scabb@scabb.org.

Register now at: www.scabb.org

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After graduationfrom the Universityof Arkansas, Barbaramoved to SavannahGeorgia to begin herMT career. Her pri-mary interest was inblood bank, thanksto her instructors atthe U. of A. MedicalCenter (Bertie,Bobby, Jerry, andRita).

Shortly after graduating from St. Luke'sEpiscopal Hospital's Specialist in Blood BankProgram in Houston and attaining her SBBcertification, Barbara joined Gamma Biologicals.How many blood bankers get a chance to namean antibody? While at Gamma, Barbara identi-fied a new antibody directed against a high-fre-quency antigen and performed the family studythat demonstrated inheritance of the new anti-gen, Tca. Barbara says her other claim to fame isthe discovery of the first, and maybe still theonly, MiVII homozygote. The proposita's red cellswere also ENaFS negative, and had an antibodydirected against a high-frequency antigen thatwas named ENaKT. Barbara published articleson these and a number of other interestingcases. Barbara noted: “I recognize my mentors,John and Marilyn Moulds and John Case, forthis wonderful experience. I worked with somegreat serologists, had the opportunity to meetand become friends with many famous bloodbankers, coauthored papers with blood bankersfrom England, Israel, Germany, and Taiwan, notto mention working on some NEAT antibodyproblems. My seven years of experience in thisinternationally recognized reference laboratoryled to opportunities to share my experienceswith others through the Gamma tutorials, local,regional, and national workshops and telecon-ferences, as well as through publications in peerreview journals and reference letters and tele-phone consultations for our customers.”

Barbara's husband was transferred to Denverwhere she worked for Belle Bonfils MemorialBlood Center as Education Coordinator. SteveBrown, the COO, gave her the freedom to devel-op this new position and provide workshops forthe technologists and healthcare workers in theColorado community. Barbara commented:“It was during my employment in Coloradowhen AIDS took center stage in the blood bankcommunity. Little did we know that as a result,we (the blood bankers) would be expected tobecome much more knowledgeable in infectiousdisease, virology, microbiology, chemistry,molecular biology and epidemiology during thesubsequent 20 years as we continued to strive toprovide the safest blood components in theworld. There is such a wealth of science tolearn and to share in this profession.”

Because there was no specialist in blood bankschool in Colorado, Barbara started a studygroup for area technologists who were interestedin preparing for the specialist in blood bank cer-tification exam. This provided an opportunityto others to expand their knowledge abouttransfusion medicine and to broaden theiropportunities for their career advancement.

Also while in Colorado, Barbara convinced theblood bankers to request state membership inSCABB. In 1986, Colorado became the eighthstate of the SCABB, and Barbara became the firstDistrict Director from Colorado. Barbara andher other colleagues also initiated the first CEand SKI blood bank education conference inColorado. Unfortunately, she did not get tofinish her District Director term, because herhusband was transferred to Dallas.

In Dallas, Barbara worked at Wadley, laterBloodCare, first as Supervisor of Consultationand Education, then Assistant Technical Directorand finally, Director of Quality Assurance.Barbara said, “These positions again broughtnew opportunities to broaden my knowledgeabout the federal regulations that govern themanufacturing of blood products and thenew emphasis on quality assurance and goodmanufacturing practices.”

In 1995, Barbara assumed her current positionat The University of Texas Southwestern MedicalCenter at Dallas as Instructor and EducationCoordinator of the Blood Bank TechnologyProgram and was promoted to AssistantProfessor in 2002. The UT Southwesternprogram is one of 15 accredited programs inthe country today. In the late 1970's- early1980's, there were 67 SBB programs in the U.S.

In August, 2004, UT Southwestern partneredwith Blood Systems Laboratories, a division ofBlood Systems, Inc., to convert the UTSouthwestern on-site Blood Bank TechnologyProgram to an online program in order to reachpotential students across the country. Barbararecognizes Sally Caglioti, BSL Vice President, forobtaining the funding for the project from theBlood Systems Foundation and Lynn Little,Professor and Department Chair, MedicalLaboratory Sciences at UT Southwestern forobtaining the University support for the project.Barbara was the project leader and a contentexpert. Marie Holub, the education coordinatorfrom BSL, and now also a Clinical Instructor atUT Southwestern was Barbara's partner in con-tent development. “While Marie and I wrote 50of the 134 didactic units and all 56 clinicalcourse units, as well as reviewed and edited theremaining didactic units, 51 additional expertsin transfusion medicine or immunohematologywere invited to participate in the program. Toensure quality of the content we also recruitedother content experts to review the units. Thiswas an exciting project that was completed inspring 2007. Almost 500 illustrations werecreated, over 1000 photographs were capturedand numerous narrated videos, flash animationsand interactive learning objects were selectedor developed to enhance the online learningexperience.

The student feedback for the online courses isvery positive. “All of my graduates from thetraditional and online programs passed thenational certification examination, most withscores well above the national average. All ofmy graduates are working in supervisory, ormanagement positions, and doing exceptionallywell. Of these facts, I am very proud.”

Barbara has lived in three of the nine memberstates of SCABB and has served as DistrictDirector in two of the nine states. She hasserved on at least eight different SCABB commit-tees as member and/or chair or co chair. Shealso served on the SCABB Executive Committeefrom 1994 -2002 and was President of thisAssociation in 1999-2000. In addition, sheserved six years on the AABB Technical ScientificWorkshop Committee and is currently a mem-ber of the AABB Committee on Accreditation ofSBB Schools and an AABB Assessor.

Barbara's awards and honors include the BaxterFenwal Scholarship for her SBB Project paper,the 2002 SCABB Larry L. Trow MemorialEducation Award, a 2004 SCABB OutstandingService Award and 2007 initiation in the UTSouthwestern chapter of the Alpha Eta HonorSociety for Allied Health School faculty andstudents.

Barbara and her husband, Tim enjoy traveling,cruising, hiking, snow skiing and swimming.They especially like to visit their son, Jeff, whonow lives in Colorado where he was born.Some of you may recall that Jeff helped hismom design the SCABB Web site, when he was16 years old, long before he completed hisBachelors of Science degree in ComputerScience.

Barbara commented: “I enjoyed learning fromall my teachers, clinical instructors, mentors,leaders, and yes, students. I still enjoy learningtoday. At the same time, I attain great satisfac-tion by sharing my knowledge and experienceswith other people who are interested andenthusiastic about medical laboratory sciencesand immunohematology. I am proud to see mystudents/graduates advance in their careers andserve our ultimate customers, the patients whoneed blood, 'the gift of life.' I recognize all ofthese mentors, colleagues and friends that haveallowed me to be named 'A Distinguished BloodBanker' of this association.”

A special thank you to our2008 Annual Meeting corporate sponsors.

President’s CircleAbbott DiagnosticsBlood Systems, Inc.

BenefactorChiron, A Novartis Business

HaemoneticsFenwal

FriendCharter Medical

Roche DiagnosticsGambro BCT, Inc.ACT Fast Delivery

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics

Distinguished Blood Banker: Barbara Fryer

It's Time to CelebrateLocal Arrangements Plans

Unforgettable 50thSouth Central is 50 years strong and proud of its heritageof education and festivities. Don't miss a single event asyou travel down memory lane while networking with yourcolleagues, exhibitors, friends and some of our own indus-try icons. To honor our past, the South Central LegendsPhoto Gallery will delight you, or perhaps make youcringe and will be available for viewing throughout themeeting in front of the Exhibit Hall. The hard workingLocal Arrangements and History Committees look forwardto showing you a great time in Houston.

See ya’ll in Houston!

EVENT PACKING LIST

Bubba Bayou Golf Invitational Golf Outfit, Clubs, Balls, Shoes

South Central Fun Run Running Outfit, Shoes, Band-aids

Sight-seeing in Houston Walking Outfit, Shoes and Jeans

Opening Plenary with Dr. Red Duke (Yeehaw!) Business Casual Clothes

Exhibit Hall Opening Bag to Hold Goodies

50th Anniversary Gala Ball Gown / Tux and Dancing Shoes

Clip out this helpful packing guide so you don't forget a thing!

Chantal Harrison, MDChantal Harrison received a B.S. from Lycee Leverrier,a M.S. from University of Paris Faculte of Science(both in France) and her M.D. from the University ofFlorida. Dr. Harrison is a full professor at the UTHSC-SA and is the Medical Director of the UniversityHospital’s Blood Bank and Transfusion Services, in SanAntonio, TX. She will share personal experiences andunusual transfusion cases that she has observed duringher outstanding career.

Meet the 2008 Technical/Scientific & Administrative Award Lecturers

Les McGeheeLes is an award winning comedian and improvisa-tion pioneer who has entertained and trained mil-lions of happier people throughout the U.S. andthe world for more than 20 years. Les’ contribu-tion to the annual meeting program will be a treatfor all attendees as he uses his wit and humor toaddress the day to day challenges of administra-tive functions in the industry. Get a head start onthe experience by visiting www.lesmcgehee.com.

The lectures will be presented on Saturday, April 5th at 1:30 pm at the Marriott Westchase in Houston, Texas during South Central’s Annual Meeting.

2008 Pre Meeting IndustryWorkshop Offerings

On Thursday, April 3rd, beginning at 8:00 am atthe Houston Marriott Westchase, SCABB vendorpartners will present industry workshopsdesigned to bring the most recent methods,tools, studies and research to annual meetingattendees. The workshops provide an incredibleforum for one on one exchange with vendors asto what works, what doesn’t and what you’d liketo see in the way of resources for the future.Plan now to arrive early and attend these out-standing workshops, included with your annualmeeting registration.

Plasma: Myths and Legends ExplainedPresented by: Gambro BCT

Current Trends in Neonatal TransfusionPresented by: Charter Medical, Ltd.

An Alternative to Increase PlateletAvailabilityPresented by: Pall Medical

Rapid Bacterial Detection for ApheresisPlateletsPresented by: Abbott Laboratories

For the Blood Bank, Successful DocumentControl, Non Conforming Events andAudits in the Regulated EnvironmentPresented by: Proquis, Inc.

For a full description of these workshops, visitwww.scabb.org > 2008 Annual Meeting >Industry Workshops.

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AABB

Abbott

ABN Marketing Services

ACT Fast Delivery

Altivation Software

BioArray Solutions

Biotest

Blood Systems Laboratories

Charter Medical, Ltd.

Chiron, a Novartis Business

Cooper Atkins

CSL Behring

Digi-Trax Corporation

Donor Dialogue

Fenwal Blood Technologies

Gambro BCT, Inc.

Gem Refrigerators

Genesis BPS, LLC

GTI Diagnostics

Haemonetics Corporation

Helena Laboratories

Helmer Inc.

HemaSource

HemoCue, Inc.

Immucor

International Specialty Products

Matthews Specialty Vehicles, Inc.

Next Control Systems

Olympus America, Inc.

Pall Medical

Proquis

QPS Medicals

QualTex Laboratories

Rees Scientific Corporation

Roche Diagnostics Corporation

Sarstedt, Inc.

SeraCare

STI (Separation Technology, Inc.)

Talisman, Ltd.

Terumo Medical Corporation

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Typenex Medical

U.S. Coach Company

UT Southwestern Medical Center

Wyndgate Technologies

2008 ANNUAL MEETING EXHIBITORS!

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While 2008 represents a historical milestone for South Central and anAnnual Meeting program that is thematically connected to “Rememberingthe Past”, the agenda for the Administrative Programs resides very muchin the present and in the future. What is really exciting about this year’spresentations is the variety of forward-looking sessions that are designedto appeal to a wide range of interests.

The Administrative Program track has a line-up of seven topics. Fourtopics feature perspectives from speakers with expertise outside the arenaof blood banking on an array of issues including: Strategic Planning,Managing Anxiousness within Organizations, Crisis Communications,and Defining the Customer Experience. It is our express hope attending

members will come away from these forums with useful informationdelivered from new vantage points. The balance the program deliversvaluable and shared experiences from blood banking colleagues on acontemporary array of operational issues that include LEAN: Approachesin Blood Centers, Impact of TRALI Measures on Blood Centers andfinally, Opportunities and Innovations in e-Learning.

The legacy of SCABB is affordable educational forums and networkingevents applicable to blood banking and the work we do. We believe the2008 Administrative Program slate reaffirms this and so we sincerely hopeto have packed meeting halls and to see all of you in Houston April 3rd –April 6th.

Houston Annual Meeting: Sharing Administrative Perspectives and ExperiencesBy: Michael Lamb

Technical/Scientific HighlightsBY: Ellen O’Daniel Co-chair of the

Technical Scientific program committee

Abstracts to be Presented at 50th Annual Meeting

The Annual Program Committees are delighted at the largenumber of abstracts submitted for oral or poster presentation atthe SCABB 50th Annual Meeting in Houston April 3 – 6, 2008.Thirteen abstracts were submitted for consideration to theTechnical/Scientific Program Committee.

The quality of the Technical/Scientific abstracts submitted ishigh, and the topics range from serological case studies to com-ponent quality to transfusion practice. There will be both oralpresentations and poster presentations. Everyone is encouragedto attend the oral presentations on Saturday, April 5 from 10:30– 12:00, followed by lunch in the Exhibit Hall. Also during thissession, the Sol Habermann Award winner will present a sum-mary of his/her work. Attending the abstract presentations willnot only add to your knowledge base, but will also encouragescientific discussion among all our members. SCABB can beproud that our members are not only regionally but nationallyknown for their expertise. What better way to interact than toattend the abstracts and be able to directly question the authorson the details of their presentations!

Ask the Experts

Once again many of the speakers participating in the Technicaland Scientific programs will be available to answer questionsduring the “Ask the Experts” session scheduled Saturday, April 5from 3:45 – 5:00 pm. Moderating this session is Dr. BobbyRodwig. Be sure and submit your questions for “Ask theExperts” either on the SCABB website at Scabb@scabb.org orat the meeting.

As long as you are at the meeting on Saturday, be sure to partic-ipate in the other activities planned for that day. Saturdaymorning opens with the Fun Run (free, but pre-registration viathe SCABB web site is requested.) The SCABB Business Meetingis at 5:15 – 5:45 Saturday afternoon. This is an excellent way tofind out what is happening with YOUR organization. AndSaturday night is capped off with the SCABB President’s AwardReception and 50th Anniversary Celebration Banquet. Banquettickets are included in the full meeting registration, or may bepurchased for $50.00. The Banquet is an excellent way to joinin recognizing the members of our community who help bringin the blood donors we all rely upon.

Make your plans now to attend the SCABB 2008 AnnualMeeting and Exhibit. Early registration ends March 3. Manyof the sessions will also be PACE approved for laboratorycontinuing education.

Written materials included a train-the-trainer manual and a one-page flyerfor the public. The advisors stressedthe importance of brevity in collateralmaterials, using bullet points, colorfuland relevant art, and easily under-standable language with no technicaljargon.

The plan is now being phased in tosolicit A-A blood donors in Monroeand Baton Rouge, LA, and Beaumont,TX, with full implementation in allLifeShare Blood Centers locationsscheduled for 2008. There is stillmuch work to be done, including fullimplementation of volunteers asrecruiters and trainers of other volun-teers, and development of specialtypromotional items for identitybranding.

The Monroe advisory committee wasinstrumental at the state level in help-ing to pass Louisiana HouseConcurrent Resolution 245 in the2007 legislative session. The resolu-tion supports the efforts of LifeShareand other care providers for sickle celldisease patients. As a result of thisresolution, the Louisiana Departmentof Health and Hospitals is submittinga report proposal to the 2008 legisla-tive session that includes a compo-nent addressing the blood transfusionneeds of SCD patients.

The For Us, About Us campaign ismaking a difference in the number ofA-A who are now donating blood.Within a few months of the limitedrelease of the program, initial resultsshow an increase of 2.4% system-widein the number of A-A donors. InMonroe, participation in some highschool blood drives specifically target-ed using the For Us, About Us pro-gram has nearly doubled. For exam-ple, Richwood High School had a his-tory of approximately 20 donors perblood drive. However, after For Us,About Us was presented at the school,participation increased to 48 donors.It is important to continue to trackparticipation to determine the contin-ued impact of the program.

As a result of the increase in the num-ber of A-A donors, the number ofthose who are being identified as spe-cial or rare traits donors is increasing.These newly identified special traitsdonors can provide blood compo-nents for hard-to-match patients.

In order to build donor relations, ForUs, About Us donor identificationcards are being developed for A-Adonors. Those donors who have beenidentified as having special traits willhave a card that indicates their specialstatus, including a listing of the anti-gens. The cards are sent with a letterof thanks and explanation to specialtrait donors about why they are a spe-cial donor. Initial results show thatdonors who are better educated aboutthat their blood type are more willingto donate or will respond positivelywhen called to give for patients whoneed that donor's specific blood type.

Development of this program hastaught us that collaboration, patienceand perseverance are essential to itssuccess. LifeShare Blood Centerslooks forward to submitting futurereports about the progress of For Us,About Us.

We wish to express our appreciationto the Foundation for America's BloodCenters for its grant in support ofdeveloping For Us, About Us, a grass-roots recruiting program for A-Ablood donors.

LifeShare Blood Centers is headquar-tered in Shreveport, LA, with addi-tional Louisiana centers located inAlexandria, Baton Rouge, LakeCharles, and Monroe, and a Texascenter located in Beaumont. Foundedin 1942 in Shreveport, LifeShare isone of the nation's oldest blood cen-ters. LifeShare distributes over200,000 blood products to 139 med-ical facilities in our service area andbeyond. The For Us, About Us logo,printed and video materials are copy-right 2007 by LifeShare Blood Centers.

(continued from page 1 )

A Grassroots Recruitment Program for African-American Blood Donors

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CORPUS CHRISTI MEDICAL CENTER

What began as a 26 bed facility in the early 60’s has grown into a fourcampus 500+ bed healthcare system. Corpus Christi Medical Centerincludes Doctors Regional, Bay Area, The Heart Hospital and NorthwestHospital.

The Bay Area campus is home to the Bay Area Hospital the Women’sCenter at Bay Area, and the Corpus Christi Cancer Center. The Bay AreaHospital is a full-service, acute care hospital with specialized areas thatinclude a 24-hour emergency department, an orthopedic unit, and TheBreast Center of South Texas. The Women’s Center at Bay Area offers thehighest level comprehensive Women’s and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,state-of-the-art childbirthing suites, and comprehensive nursery services.The Corpus Christi Cancer Center is a full-service, free-standing cancercenter.

Doctors Regional is an acute care hospital offering a broad range ofinpatient and outpatient services including a 24-hour emergencydepartment, state-of-the-art cardiac cath lab, a neuroscience programoffering stereotactic procedures for noninvasive brain surgeries, a sleeplaboratory, and a pediatric oncology unit.

The Heart Hospital was built for the purpose of serving heart patients.This unique facility is equipped with the latest in heart care technology,offering comprehensive diagnostics, treatment and surgical procedures.

Northwest provides 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week emergency care,diagnostic and laboratory services as well as hyperbaric and wound care.

The Transfusion Services at each of the four campus sites work closely withthe physicians, healthcare providers and hospital staff to provide medicaland technical services. The Transfusions Services perform compatibilitytesting, antibody identification and resolutions, prenatal screenings andneonatal testing. Each campus is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Annually approximately 9,000 units of blood and blood componentsincluding neonatal aliquots are transfused to patients throughout SouthTexas.

OUR FAMILY OF HOSPITALS AND TRANSFUSION SERVICES HAS ONEPURPOSE -- LIFE.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Medical Technologist IUnited Blood Services seeks a Medical Technologist I for our location inMeridian, MS.

Donor Recruitment RepGrowing national blood center is seeking strong business developmentprofessionals for the following location: Meridian, MS

Donor Recruitment RepGrowing national blood center is seeking strong business developmentprofessionals for the following location: Flowood, MS

Medical Technologists Houston, TexasSt. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, located in the Texas Medical Center, is theSouthwest’s first Magnet Hospital with a state-of-the-art 948-bed tertiarycare teaching institution where research and education directly impactpatient care.

For full details on the above job postings visit: www.scabb.org>employment opportunities

BAY AREA DOCTORS REGIONAL

HEART HOSPITAL NORTHWEST

Institutional Member Spotlight

The University of TexasM. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Blood Bank is Making Cancer History®

U.T. M.D Anderson Cancer Center is one of the largest transfusinghospitals in the United States. We have transfused as many as 600blood components in one day, and average over 400 daily. Since bloodis a key component in certain types of cancer therapies, it needs to bereadily available, no matter what time of year it is. We currently havefour donation centers in the Houston area and are expanding toinclude centers in surrounding communities. To increase collectionsand donor convenience we also have daily mobile blood drives.

Our recruitment department also encourages our employees to donate.We currently have over 17,000 employees that we can call upon on adaily basis. We develop marketing strategies and campaigns that targetour employees to increase our donor base. Last year we increasedemployee donors from 4.7% to 8.9%. Our recruitment departmentconstantly creates new and innovative strategies to continue increas-ing the employee donor base.

Our patient population requires numerous platelet transfusions due tothe nature of cancer therapies. In order to make donating convenientto our patients’ families and friends we have a mobile Trima® pro-gram. This allows us to safely collect platelets conveniently by takingour equipment directly inside businesses, churches, schools and otherdonor group facilities to maximize collections.

We have state of the art crossmatch, component manufacturing, anddonor testing laboratories. Our labs include NAT testing using ChironProcleix assay by IDT, BioArray HEA testing, and we are currentlyimplementing donor anti-HLA class I and II testing.

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Blood Bank is an integral part of thehospital’s mission of Making Cancer History®.

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Journal Article ReviewGail Savage, MT(ASCP)SBBClinical Laboratory Scientist VImmunohematology Reference LaboratoryBlood Systems Laboratories

Researchers in the Netherlands recently publishedtheir results correlating disease with risk of alloim-munization, “Clinical predictors of alloimmuniza-tion after red blood cell transfusion.”

The article, written by Martijn P. Bauer et al., waspublished in Transfusion, volume 47, November2007. The title is a simple phrase that clearly indi-cates the subject matter of the paper. The abstractprovides a good summary of the paper’s subjectmatter. The study’s results are not exceptionallyconclusive, and additional studies were appropriate-ly recommended to confirm the associationproposed by the researchers.

The introduction adequately describes the back-ground and reason for conducting such research,pointing out that few studies have investigatedclinical risk factors for alloimmunization. Further,it discusses the reasons that alloimmunization is aworthy cause for research, e.g., it is the most com-mon adverse reaction reported to TRIP—TransfusionReactions in Patients Dutch National HemovigilanceOffice. The researchers go on to discuss the value ofthe importance of having knowledge of clinical con-ditions which predispose patients to alloimmuniza-tion—namely, that more extensive antigen typingcould be instituted for those more at risk, and thatknowledge of the associations may lead to a betterunderstanding of the etiology of this type oftransfusion reaction.

In the materials and methods section, the reader isintroduced to the selection process of the case stud-ies and controls and how the patient characteristicswere defined. The researchers indicated that devel-opment of the D antibody was not included in thecase study because, as they pointed out, they werelooking for the development of a new alloantibodydue to red cell transfusion, not pregnancy. Becauseanti-D is the most common clinically encounteredantibody (Issitt, Montgomery Publishing, 1996, p.322) and the only antigen other than ABO which isroutinely screened prior to blood administration, itis understandable that it was not included in thecase group. This point is not described in the text.

Blood products were also defined, as well as themethods for making the correlation between alloim-munization and disease. Mantel-Haenszel common-odds-ratio (ORs) estimates were used, but theauthors do not explain the method. The researchersinclude a flow diagram which allows the reader tofollow the selection process for the cases and con-trols. For clarification on the diseases defined asautoimmune, the authors include a table. It isunclear why the researchers have a greater numberin the control group than in the case group.

In the results section, the authors summarize theirfindings and present the data in three tables. Table2, entitled “Mantel-Haenszel adjusted ORs forassociation between patient characteristics andalloimmunization, stratified by hospital” appearsto delineate the patient characteristics by case andcontrol groups. There is no mention of the twohospitals used in the study. The differences innumbers between the case and control groups arereadily apparent when studying the data in thetable. The reader gains an appreciation for thecomplexity of the study.

The discussion section describes the limitations ofthe study and possibilities for additional research.One such paragraph discusses the possibility ofhaving patients with “slow-forming” antibodies inthe control group. This is in contrast to the casegroup in which “early” antibodies were detected.

The authors are attempting toexplain a phenomenon termednondifferential misclassification,but the explanation is unclear.They have also stated that thecase-control design used as thebasis for this paper has rarelybeen applied in studies investi-gating risk factors for transfu-sion reactions. This statementsupports the earlier one inwhich they stated that limitedstudies have been performed toevaluate the risk factors fordevelopment of alloimmuniza-tion (a type of transfusionreaction). If limited studies havebeen performed, then, of course,using the case-control forresearching the material wouldhave rarely been used. Finally,in the discussion section, theauthors relate their work toprevious similar studies andconfirm some of the resultsobtained with this study.

This paper leaves one with morequestions than answers, anyone of which could constituteanother research study andfollow-up paper. At what addedcost or benefit does antigenscreening provide for those atrisk? How will the risk factorsbe communicated to thetransfusion service to meet theneed? What then can be saidabout the risk of developingadditional antibodies after thefirst is discovered?

Journal Club

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Welcome NewMembers

Since December 2007

Katarzyna BielenScottsdale Health Care2616 E Balboa Dr.Tempe, AZ 85282773-592-2580KBIELEN@COMCAST.NET

Katrina (Trina)BillingsleyCHRISTUS Santa Rosa8403 Jaybrook DriveConverse, TX 78109210-704-3074katrina.billingsley@christushealth.org

Melinda BoutwellOklahoma Blood Institute1001 N. Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73139-2995405-297-5592Mboutwell@obi.org

Jimmy BoydArk. State University-Beebe1401 DeWitt Henry #101FBeebe, AR 72012501-882-8214jlboyd.asub.edu

Eileen CollignonThe Blood Center315 S. Johnson New Orleans, LA 70112504-592-4891ecollignon@thebloodcenter.org

Susan CrewsOklahoma Blood Insitute1420 Veterans Blvd. Ardmore, OK 73401580-226-2220screws@obi.org

Christopher CrockettgJPS Health Network716 Twin Oaks CourtBurleson, TX 76028817-927-1454x2040ccrocket@jpshealth.org

Erik HillUnited Blood Services9630 W. Charleston Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89117702-228-4483 x 244ehill@bloodsystems.org

Laura KorteSt. Luke's Episcopal Hospital6720 Bertner , Mail Code 4-265Houston, TX 77030832-355-5124lkorte@sleh.com

Darin ManloveBlood Center of Central Texas4300 N. Lamar blvd. PO Box 4368Austin, TX 78756512-206-1145dmanlove@inyourhands.org

Korina MillsBanner Thunderbird MedicalCenter5555 W. Thunderbird Road Glendale, AZ 85306602-865-5843korina.mills@bannerhealth.com

Barbara MurelloSt. Joseph Regional Health Center2801 Franciscan Drive Bryan, TX 77802979-776-2404BarbaraMurello@St-Joseph.org

Rosa PerezQualTex Laboratories6211 IH 10 West San Antonio, TX 78201210-731-5555 x2587rosa.perez@qualtexlabs.org

Rosemary PersaOklahoma Blood Institute1001 N. Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73104405-297-5763rpersa@obi.org

Federico RodriguezBlood Systems Laboratories2424 W. Erie Drive Tempe, AZ 85282-3113602-343-7012frodriguez@bloodsystems.org

Aziza StutesClear Lake Regional Medical Center500 Medical Center Blvd. Webster, TX 77598281-338-3799aziza.stutes@hcahealthcare.com

Brenda SullivanLBJ General Hospital5656 Kelley Street Houston, TX 77026-1975713-566-5295brenda_sullivan@hchd.tmc.edu

Daoping ZhangSt. Luke's Episcopal Hospital6720 Bertner Street , 20269Houston, TX 77573832-355-4116dzhang@sleh.com

Patricia (Tricia)ZrodlowskiVA North TX HCS7909 Mosstree Dr.Arlington, Tx 76001214-857-0720Patricia.Zrodlowski@va.gov

Institutional andAssociate Corporate

BioArray SolutionsBioArray Solutions35 Technology Dr. Warren, NJ 07059214-334-2300jbeemer@bioarrays.comACM

Corpus Christi MedicalCenterPO Box 8991 Corpus Christi, TX 78468-8991361-761-1474diane.lechuga@hcahealthcare.comINST

HemaSource, Inc.4158 West Nike Drive, Suite BWest Jordan, UT 84088801-280-5151cgoeders@hemasource.comACM

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The Children's HospitalAssociation13123 E. 16th Avenue Aurora, CO 80045-7106720-777-3924houston.kathleen@tchden.orgINST

UT M.D. AndersonCancer Center1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 007Houston, TX 77030713-792-3644ggriffin@mdanderson.orgINST

The theme for the 2008 South Central Annual Meeting is "Remembering the Past, Preparing for the Future". South Central is hard at work preparing forthe future with its Protégé Mentorship Program. Past and future leaders are paired to maximize the experience and potential that our membership rep-resents. New, current, and graduating protégés will be attending the annual meeting. Their mentors will be showing them how to get the most out ofthe Annual Meeting experience as well as introducing their protégés to the extensive network of colleagues that makes up the South Central Associationof Blood Banks.

50th South Central Annual Meeting Protégé Events • Houston, Texas - April 2008

Pre-convention Board of Directors Meeting Wednesday, April 2 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Member Orientation & Protégé Mixer Thursday, April 3 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Lunch in Exhibit Hall Friday and Saturday (Tables Reserved for Protégés & Mentors) April 4 and 5 at Noon

Annual Business Meeting Saturday, April 5 5:15 pm – 5:45 pm

President’s Award Reception and Saturday, April 5 50th Anniversary Gala Celebration 7:00 pm – Midnight

Post-Convention Board of Directors Meeting Sunday, April 6 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Protégé Mentor

Jay Thomas (Our Lady of Lake Chris Coffin (United Blood Regional Medical Center) Services of Louisiana)

Lisa Fults (South Texas Blood Paula Kelley (Children's& Tissue Center) Medical Center Dallas)

The 2007 Graduating ProtégéMentorship Program Class

IN MEMORY OFKATHEY KEETER

Oklahama Blood InstituteLab Technical Manager

On January 30, 2008Oklahoma Blood Institute(OBI) and the transfusionmedicine community losta brilliant colleague,friend, teacher and mentorwith the passing of KatheyJ. Keeter, MT (ASCP), SBB.

Kathey came to OBI in theearly 1980’s to open itsfirst Specialist in BloodBank (SBB) Technologist

Training Program. In the early 1990’s she followedher love for teaching and moved to the University ofOklahoma Health Sciences Center to be programdirector at the University’s Medical TechnologyTraining Program. In 1995 she moved to Texaswhere she worked as a training manager and seniortechnologist until returning to OBI in 1999. Kathey,who had returned to Oklahoma to help take care ofher mother, was persuaded to establish and managean OBI Tulsa Center Immunohematology ReferenceLab (IRL) and remained in the position of LabTechnical Manager until her death.

Kathey is known throughout the United States asone of the best serologists and teachers in thetransfusion medicine industry. She was a memberof American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP);AABB (formerly known as American Association ofBlood Banks); South Central Association of BloodBanks (SCABB); and American Society for ClinicalLaboratory Sciences (ASCLS).

Among her professional awards, she was the 1993“Outstanding Junior Faculty in Teaching” recipient,awarded by the College of Allied Health, Universityof Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. In 2005, shewas presented with the Larry L. Trow MemorialEducation Award by the South Central Associationof Blood Banks for her significant contributions tothe promotion of education in the field ofimmunohematology.

“Kathey was not only working as my manager inthe Tulsa Reference Laboratory, but she was also mymentor in the SBB program at UT SouthwesternMedical Center,” says Heather vonHartitzsch, MT(ASCP), OBI Laboratory Technologist. “Her eyeswould light-up every time we talked about school.She loved helping people with their education andshe will be greatly missed, both professionally andpersonally.”

“One of the small things that Kathey loved was thegentle and quiet beauty of a butterfly,” says CharlesMooney, OBI Vice President of Quality Management.“To our sadness, OBI and the industry have lost avital technologist and teacher as well as a friendwho had a still and quiet beauty of her own. OBIplans to pursue the establishment of a Kathey Keeterscholarship fund at an SBB training program.”

Oklahoma Blood Institute is a non-profit, regionalblood center providing transfusion products andclinical services to 110 hospitals in Oklahoma andnorth Texas. It is headquartered in Oklahoma Cityand manages the life-saving donations from morethan 120,000 individuals each year.

LifeShare Blood Centers AnnouncesAddition of Distinguished Blood Banker

Shreveport, LA – January 11, 2008 – LifeShare Blood Centers todayannounced the addition of another distinguished blood banker toits staff. Marilyn Moulds, BA, MT(ASCP)SBB, agreed to come outof her brief retirement to serve as Immunohematology Specialistin LifeShare’s Reference Laboratory and mentor laboratorypersonnel.

“We are delighted that Marilyn is joining the LifeShare family,”said Margaret Wallace, President and CEO of LifeShare Blood Centers. “Marilyn Moulds is alegend in blood banking and immunohematology. Her technical expertise brings addition-al prestige and advanced knowledge to LifeShare’s reference lab.”

Moulds began her blood banking career at War memorial Blood Bank in Minneapolis,MN. Marilyn joined Gamma Biologicals, Inc in 1975 as a trainer, and eventually she waspromoted to Vice President in 1996.

Throughout her career, Moulds has been cited for her reference laboratory work and lovefor teaching future blood bankers. Among the numerous awards she has received are theL. Jean Stubbins Memorial Lecture Award (1979) and Larry L. Trow Memorial EducationAward (1991), both awarded by the South Central Association of Blood Banks, and the IvorDunsford Award (1996) and Sally Frank Award (1999), awarded by AABB, and the Jack B.Alperin Award (2005), from the University of Texas Medical Branch for OutstandingSupport of the Specialist in Blood Bank Technology Program.

“The addition of Marilyn Moulds to LifeShare’s laboratory means that we now have threeof the world’s leading blood banking experts on staff,” said Wallace. “This is quite anaccomplishment for LifeShare that will benefit patients and medical facilities in our servicearea and throughout the nation.”

In 2004, internationally renowned scientists Joann Moulds, PhD, MT(ASCP)SBB, and JohnMoulds, MT(ASCP)SBB, joined LifeShare Blood Centers to lead research efforts in the fieldof immunohematology. Joann Moulds serves as Director of Clinical Immunogenetics, andJohn Moulds is Director of Scientific Support Services.

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Heart & Lungsand Lots of FUN!!

Bring your tennis shoes and join yourcolleagues at South Central’s Fun Run,sponsored by Coffee Memorial BloodCenter. Whatever your athleticabilities – there’s a course for you.Chose from a longer course for seriousrunners, or a shorter one for walkers!!The run will take place Saturday, April5 at 6:30 am allowing time for you tocomplete the Run/Walk and return tothe hotel in time for the morningsbreakout sessions! Pre-register onlineat www.scabb.org > 2008 AnnualMeeting > Register Now or on site inHouston.

Not a runner?How about a day of golf?

Tee off on Wednesday, April 2 at 8:00am with your friends, customers andcolleagues for the 2008 BubbaInvitational Golf Tournament. Fulldetails and registration form can befound at www.scabb.org > 2008 AnnualMeeting > Golf Tournament.

See you there!!

Donor, Recruitment, Collections:Looks to the Past, Plans for the Future

By: Andy Fry, Chair-Donor/Recruitment/Collections Program committee

As chair of the Donor Recruitment/Collections Committee I am pleased to work with a great groupof blood banking professionals. Our team has planned a great cross section of interesting sessions forthe 50th Anniversary Meeting “Remembering the Past, Preparing for the Future”. The team wantedto provide sessions that would address different subjects and also assure the past and future are rep-resented. The committee came up with subjects about quality, recruitment, workplace enhancementand the history of blood banking.

One of the key areas that affect the South Central region is the significant immigration across oursouthern border. Regardless of your feelings concerning this hot button political issue it is a signifi-cant issue for blood bankers. The increase in population along the Mexican border is increasingblood usage and requiring different medical professionals to better manage resources. There is noquestion that blood bankers are impacted by this growth with slightly different challenges. The keyissue that our committee identified was the challenges to recruit and retain Mexican immigrants inan effort to stay ahead of increasing usage in our region and across the nation.

If this is a subject interests you, please reserve Friday, April 3 at 1:30pm for the program “Strategiesfor Targeting Hispanic Donors”. Martin Gomez, Senior Donor Recruiter at United Blood Services inEl Paso will discuss how his recruitment teams in El Paso and Phoenix have significantly increasedcollections among Hispanic donors and Mexican immigrants. Martin will help identify triggers thatimpact the intent and willingness to donate and also review strategies that have resulted in signifi-cant growth to the El Paso operations.

Our committee was also tasked to present a topic that would look at our past. While brainstormingto find a speaker, one of our team members had a great idea: let’s ask our Bill Teague, father of ourcurrent president, Jim Teague. Bill Teague, former SCABB President and retired President CEO ofGulf Coast Regional Blood Center, would certainly be an interesting choice. Bill immediatelyaccepted and will be speaking on the final day, Sunday April 6th at 8:30am. The session “HistoricalPerspective of Blood Banking: The Last 50 Years” should be a great closure to all the sessions andprovide a full circle view of the blood banking industry over the past 50 years.

Remembering the Past, Preparing for the Future is exactly what the Donor Recruitment/CollectionsCommittee has planned to provide an incredible program for this years meeting attendees. Theinterest of team members to provide a full-circle view and take this year’s theme to heart will pro-vide for a great meeting experience. Thanks to all the committee members for their work and wewill see you in Houston!!!!

Board of DirectorsEXECUTIVECOMMITTEE

President James Teague, BS, SBB(ASCP)Ochsner Medical Center 17000 Medical Center DriveBaton Rouge, LA 70816Office: (225) 755-4880 Page: (225) 212-0100James.teague@ardenthealth.com

President-ElectLeaAnn Teague, MBA, MT(ASCP)SBB United Blood Services8234 One Calais Baton Rouge, LA 70809Office: 225-769-7233 x 3003Fax: 225-769-8633lteague@bloodsystems.org

Vice PresidentDennis Harpool, SBB(ASCP)Blood Systems, Inc.6210 E. Oak St., PO Box 1867Scottsdale, AZ 85252Office: 480-675-5646Fax: 480-675-5167dharpool@bloodsystems.org

TreasurerChristie Loe-Malone, MT(ASCP)SBBCharter Medical, Ltd.259 Valencia Circle St. Petersburg, FL 33716Office: 727-324-7241Fax: 727-571-1936cloe@lydall.com

SecretaryIrma Villarreal, MT(ASCP)BBQualtex Laboratories6211 IH-10 West San Antonio, TX 78201-2023Office: 210-731-5593Fax: 210-731-5505irma.villarreal@qualtexlabs.org

Immediate Past PresidentElizabeth Waltman United Blood Services1515 University Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87102Office: 505-768-1408x 225Fax: 505-247-8835ewaltman@bloodsystems.org

DISTRICT DIRECTORS

District I – (TX)Jose Garcia South Texas Blood & Tissue Center6211 IH-10 West San Antonio, TX 78201Office: 210-731-5578Fax: 210-731-5505jgarcia2@bloodntissue.org

District I – (TX) Nancy Haubert, BSMT(ASCP)SBBBlood Systems Laboratories2205 Hwy 121 Bedford, TX 76021-5950Office: 817-412-6108Fax: 817-412-6097nhaubert@bloodsystems.org

District II (AZ,NM,CO,OK, NV)Jeannie Gardner, RNOklahoma Blood Institute1001 N.Lincoln Blvd.Oklahoma City, OK 73104Cell (405) 205-5186jgardner@obi.org

District III (AR, LA, MS)Susan Begnaud United Blood Services of Louisiana1503 Bertrand Drive Lafayette, LA 70506Office: 337-235-5433 x 3003Fax: 337-232-5352sbegnaud@bloodsystems.org

District-at-Large David Gremillion, MT(ASCP)SBBMS HPOur Lady of The Lake RegionalMedical Center5000 Hennessy Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70808Office: 225-765-8162Fax: 225-765-3448dgremill@ololrmc.com

Central Office303-238-4145Sue Anderson, Executive DirectorKarla Darnall, Director of OperationsAmie Eubank, Member ServicesLiz Pearce, Accounting