Blood Centers of the Pacific
Encyclopedia
Blood Centers of the Pacific is a community based, nonprofit blood center
that collects blood donations
and provides safe blood
and blood components for transfusion
and also related services to more than 40 hospitals in the Bay Area and Northern California
. An affiliate of United Blood Services
, the second largest blood collection organization in the U.S., it also houses the Blood Systems Research Institute
Blood Centers of the Pacific (BCP) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. BCP is licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the California Department of Public Health
. It's also accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks and the European Union
and a member of America's Blood Centers
, a national network of community-based blood centers.
for later use - by both the military and community hospitals in the San Francisco area. The aim was to ensure that patients in the Bay Area would never again be without an adequate supply of blood. Irwin Memorial Blood Bank is credited as the very first community blood bank
in the nation.
The San Francisco Medical Society granted the fledgling blood bank permission to operate out of the basement floor of an old San Francisco home, the Irwin Mansion. However, after years of growth, the blood bank expanded its blood collection operations throughout Northern California. It soon became clear that a bigger facility was needed for its headquarters. In April 1955, Irwin opened its new doors at Masonic and Turk Streets in San Francisco. The Blood Centers of the Pacific headquarters still exist at this location today.
In 1997, the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank merged with the Peninsula Memorial Blood Bank to become Blood Centers of the Pacific — a name that encompasses the large region served by the now one organization. In 1999, Blood Centers of the Pacific affiliated with United Blood Services
, the nation’s largest blood
collection organization.
BCP serves more than 40 hospitals in the Northern California area. The hospitals served include:
, University of Southern California
, Children's National Medical Center
, Emory University
, Johns Hopkins University
, Cornell University
, University of Pittsburgh
, Children’s Medical Center, Oakland, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, University of Massachusetts
, Massachusetts General Hospital
and Harvard Medical School
Partners AIDS Research Center.
BSRI and BCP are considered one of the country's foremost research laboratories in transfusion medicine.
Blood bank
A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a division of a hospital laboratory where the storage of blood product occurs and where proper...
that collects blood donations
Blood donation
A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions or made into medications by a process called fractionation....
and provides safe blood
Whole blood
Whole blood is a term used in transfusion medicine for human blood from a standard blood donation. The blood is typically combined with an anticoagulant during the collection process, but is generally otherwise unprocessed...
and blood components for transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
and also related services to more than 40 hospitals in the Bay Area and Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
. An affiliate of United Blood Services
United Blood Services
United Blood Services is a non-profit organization that gathers blood through donations and provides whole blood and blood products to 18 western states in the US...
, the second largest blood collection organization in the U.S., it also houses the Blood Systems Research Institute
Blood Centers of the Pacific (BCP) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. BCP is licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the California Department of Public Health
California Department of Public Health
The California Department of Public Health is the state department responsible for public health in California. It is a subdivision of the California Health and Human Services Agency...
. It's also accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and a member of America's Blood Centers
America's Blood Centers
America’s Blood Centers is North America’s largest network of non-profit blood centers. Made up of 600 donor centers in 45 states and Quebec, America’s Blood Centers’ members collect more than 8 million units of whole blood, nearly half of the U.S. and Quebec, Canada volunteer donor blood supply...
, a national network of community-based blood centers.
Organizational History
In June 1941, the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank opened its doors in response to the lack of a sufficient method of obtaining and storing bloodBlood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
for later use - by both the military and community hospitals in the San Francisco area. The aim was to ensure that patients in the Bay Area would never again be without an adequate supply of blood. Irwin Memorial Blood Bank is credited as the very first community blood bank
Blood bank
A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a division of a hospital laboratory where the storage of blood product occurs and where proper...
in the nation.
The San Francisco Medical Society granted the fledgling blood bank permission to operate out of the basement floor of an old San Francisco home, the Irwin Mansion. However, after years of growth, the blood bank expanded its blood collection operations throughout Northern California. It soon became clear that a bigger facility was needed for its headquarters. In April 1955, Irwin opened its new doors at Masonic and Turk Streets in San Francisco. The Blood Centers of the Pacific headquarters still exist at this location today.
In 1997, the Irwin Memorial Blood Bank merged with the Peninsula Memorial Blood Bank to become Blood Centers of the Pacific — a name that encompasses the large region served by the now one organization. In 1999, Blood Centers of the Pacific affiliated with United Blood Services
United Blood Services
United Blood Services is a non-profit organization that gathers blood through donations and provides whole blood and blood products to 18 western states in the US...
, the nation’s largest blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
collection organization.
Blood Centers of the Pacific Today
Blood Centers of the Pacific (BCP) processes more than 200,000 blood components, and distributes about 145,000 pints of blood and almost 24,000 units of platelets annually. The organization employs close to 300 full-time and part-time employees, including physicians, directors, laboratory assistants, phlebotomists, registered nurses, medical assistants, donor recruiters, hospital services personnel, research and administrative staff.BCP serves more than 40 hospitals in the Northern California area. The hospitals served include:
- California Pacific Medical CenterCalifornia Pacific Medical CenterCalifornia Pacific Medical Center is one of the largest private, non-profit, academic medical centers in Northern California. The Medical Center is a combination of four of San Francisco's oldest medical institutions: Pacific Presbyterian Hospital, Children's Hospital of San Francisco, Davies...
, California, Davies, and Pacific campuses http://www.cpmc.org/ - Community Hospital of the Monterey PeninsulaCommunity Hospital of the Monterey PeninsulaCommunity Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula was founded in 1934 and is located at 23625 Holman Highway in Monterey, California. The hospital has 205 acute care beds and 28 skilled-nursing beds...
http://www.chomp.org/ - Chinese Hospital http://www.chinesehospital-sf.org/
- David Grant Medical Center http://www.travis.af.mil/units/dgmc/index.asp
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center http://www.sanfrancisco.va.gov/
- Fairchild Hospital http://www.fairchildmed.org/
- Howard Hospital http://www.howardhospital.com/
- Kaiser Antioch https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital Vallejo https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/
- Kaiser Martinez https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/
- Kaiser Permanente Medical Center https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/
- Kaiser Redwood City https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/
- Kaiser South San Francisco https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/
- Kaiser Vacaville https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/
- Kaiser Walnut Creek https://www.kaiserpermanente.org/
- Marin General Hospital http://www.maringeneral.sutterhealth.org/
- Mayers Memorial Hospital http://www.mayersmemorial.com/
- Mills/Peninsula Hospital http://www.millspeninsula.org/
- Modoc Medical Center http://www.modocmedicalcenter.com/
- North Bay Medical Center http://www.northbay.org/index.aspx
- Novato Community Hospital http://www.novatocommunity.sutterhealth.org/
- O'Connor HospitalO'Connor HospitalO'Connor Hospital is a hospital operated by the Roman Catholic Church in San Jose, California. It was founded in 1889, and was the first hospital in Santa Clara County, California. O'Connor Hospital was built by Judge Myles P. O'Connor and his wife, Amanda...
http://www.oconnorhospital.org/Pages/default.aspx - Petaluma Valley Hospital http://www.petalumavalleyhospital.org/
- Queen of the Valley Hospital http://www.stjhs.org/view/Default
- Shasta Regional Medical Centerhttp://www.stjhs.org/view/Default
- St. Francis Memorial Hospital http://www.saintfrancismemorial.org/index.htm
- St. Helena Hospital & Health Center http://www.sthelenahospital.org/
- St. Helena Hospital Clearlake http://www.redbudcommunityhospital.org/
- St. Luke’s Hospital http://www.cpmc.org/
- St. Mary’s Hospital and Medical Center http://www.stmarysmedicalcenter.org/index.htm
- San Francisco General HospitalSan Francisco General HospitalSan Francisco General Hospital is the main public hospital in San Francisco, California, and the only Level I Trauma Center serving San Francisco and northern San Mateo County...
http://www.sfdph.org/dph/comupg/oservices/medSvs/SFGH/default.asp - San Mateo Medical Center http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/portal/site/smmc
- Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital http://www.santarosamemorial.org/
- Sequoia Hospital http://www.sequoiahospital.org/index.htm
- Seton Medical Center, Daly City http://www.setonmedicalcenter.org/Pages/default.aspx
- Seton Medical Center, Moss Beach http://www.setoncoastside.org/Pages/default.aspx
- Surprise Valley Hospital http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Surprise+Valley+Hospital+cedarville&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&cid=6476147268040145973
- Sutter Delta Medical CenterSutter Delta Medical CenterSutter Delta Medical Center is a hospital in Antioch, California.It is part of the Sutter Health network, a large corporate health care provider that ranks among dominant providers of health services in the state of California....
http://www.sutterdelta.org/ - Sutter Solano Medical Center http://www.suttersolano.org/
- UCSF Medical CenterUCSF Medical CenterThe University of California, San Francisco Medical Center is a world renowned hospital in research and a teaching hospital in San Francisco, California. It is one of the leading hospitals in the United States and with the UCSF School of Medicine has been the site of various breakthroughs in all...
http://www.ucsfhealth.org/ - UCSF/Mt. Zion Medical Center http://www.ucsfhealth.org/
Blood Systems Research Institute
Blood Systems Research Institute (BSRI) is housed within Blood Centers of the Pacific Irwin Center headquarters. BSRI is supported by grants from the National Institute of Health and has collaborative partnerships with major universities and medical centers such as the University of California, San FranciscoUniversity of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
, University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, Children's National Medical Center
Children's National Medical Center
- Introduction :Children’s National Medical Center , is the only exclusive provider of pediatric care in the Washington, D.C., area and the only freestanding children’s hospital between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Norfolk, and Atlanta...
, Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, Children’s Medical Center, Oakland, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
, Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
and Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
Partners AIDS Research Center.
BSRI and BCP are considered one of the country's foremost research laboratories in transfusion medicine.