Background

Blood collection by the Red Cross began in 1941 as a volunteer program to provide blood for American and British troops in World War II. The public response was enthusiastic; the Red Cross began its civilian blood program in 1947 and currently supplies about half of the nation’s supply of blood and blood products. The Red Cross also provides tissue for nearly one-quarter of all tissue transplants. Additionally, the Red Cross develops, tests and implements training programs in areas such as the operation of sophisticated blood testing laboratories and the selection of donors.

Research

The Red Cross operates a leading research laboratory in the world focused on blood services, the Holland Lab, staffed by world-renowned scientists. Each year, the Red Cross oversees dozens of scientific research projects, both basic and applied, to improve the safety, purity and efficacy of blood. In addition, the Red Cross maintains a system of National Reference Laboratories to help physicians resolve complex serological problems and identify rare blood. Hospital blood bank technologists call the Red Cross every day to resolve special blood typing issues in order to safely transfuse their patients.

Giving Blood

The Red Cross has one of the world’s largest registry of rare blood donors and maintains a frozen supply of rare blood available for immediate shipment around the globe. This registry is tapped daily, responding to more than 1,000 requests each year.

Every year, millions of units are collected from Red Cross volunteer blood donors. In Southern California, the Red Cross teams with businesses, churches, schools and other community groups to host thousands of blood drives.

National Inventory Management System

The National Inventory Management System (NIMS) gives the Red Cross the ability to share vast quantities of precious blood resources during shortages or in times of natural disaster. The Red Cross Inventory Management Hub keeps Red Cross national headquarters aware of immediate and long-term blood shortages and supports the daily shipment of necessary blood supplies.

Recent Quality Control Improvements

In 1997, the Manufacturing and Computer Standardization (MACS) project was implemented and is now in use at all American Red Cross Blood Services Regions across the country.

Tissue Services

The following are examples of how the Red Cross distributes and uses tissue:

• Heart valves help children born with heart problems or adults who have heart disease and damaged heart valves.
• Skin is used as temporary covering to reduce pain and lower the chance of infection to patients with severe burns.
• Ligaments and tendons are used to replace or strengthen damaged tissues in injured knees and other joints.
• Bone is used to repair or replace bone after serious injury, bone cancer or crippling disease of the bone.
• Corneas are used to restore sight to people with decreased vision from corneal disease or injury.