Miller-Keystone Blood Center

aka MKBC, HCSC Blood Center

Mission

It is the mission of the Miller-Keystone Blood Center to: _ provide a safe and adequate blood supply and quality community services in response to the changing needs of our customers _ be an active member of the community by providing community education and becoming involved in community activities beyond our core business _ provide a safe and secure environment _ treat employees with respect and dignity through recognition of their merit _ believe that participation in the management process and teamwork are our core operational values. We must treat each other with trust and respect _ provide fair and adequate compensation based on the impact and extent of job task _ operate in a cost effective manner to provide resources for continued growth

Address

Miller-Keystone Blood Center
1465 Valley Center Parkway
Bethlehem, PA 18017

Contact

Telephone: 610-691-5850
Fax: 610-691-5423
Email: sthomas@hcsc.org
Website: www.giveApint.org

Information

The original Miller Memorial Blood Center opened in 1971 in response to the Lehigh Valley's need for a centralized blood service program. Keystone Community Blood Bank was founded in 1966 to provide blood donor recruitment and blood collection services in Berks County. Miller and Keystone merged on May 1, 2001. In June 2003, the two organizations began doing business under the new name Miller-Keystone Blood Center. The following are excerpts from our Mission Statement and Quality Policy, "The Blood Center is to provide a safe and adequate blood supply and quality community services in response to the changing needs of our customers. Be an active member of the community by providing community education and becoming involved in community activities beyond our core business. Believe that participation in the management process and teamwork are our core operational values. We must treat each other with trust and respect. Operate in a cost effective manner to provide resources for continued growth. We deliver quality products and services in a timely manner to all customers, internal and external. We provide our employees with training and resources to meet or exceed customer requirements. We monitor our processes and products to identify opportunities for continual improvement."

The Blood Center is licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and New York Departments of Health, HCFA/CLIA, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Blood Center is accredited by the AABB and is ISO 9001:2000 certified. Member, America's Blood Centers (ABC), a national trade association with 77 blood center members nationwide and a member of the Mid-Atlantic, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York Associations of Blood Banks.

1. Hospital Customers
Where you give blood does make a difference. It is important to know that Miller-Keystone Blood Center is the only supplier to Easton Hospital, Blue Mountain Health System-Gnaden Huetten, Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, Hazleton General Hospital, Lehigh Valley Health Network-Cedar Crest, Lehigh Valley Health Network-17th and Chew, Lehigh Valley Health Network-Muhlenberg, Blue Mountain Health System-Palmerton, Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, The Reading Hospital and Medical Center, Sacred Heart Hospital, St. Joseph Medical Center, St. Luke's Hospital-Allentown Campus, St. Luke's Hospital-Bethlehem, St. Luke's Miners Memorial Hospital, St. Luke's Quakertown Hospital, Warren Hospital and Westfield Hospital.

The Blood Center also provides supplemental blood supplies to Hershey Medical Center and Geisinger Medical Center.

2. The Blood Center recruits, collects, processes, tests, and distributes currently 125,000 blood products annually. The Center provides other services that benefit medical providers, patients, blood donors, other blood centers and the community–at-large in Eastern & Northeastern PA and Western New Jersey. Periodically the Blood Center is called upon to provide blood products and other services to hospitals and blood centers across the country.

3. 24 Hour Operational Service
Blood Center personnel are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for hospital deliveries and medical and technical consultations.

4. Donor Center(s), Bloodmobiles and Satellite Locations
The opportunity to give blood includes the main centralized Miller-Keystone Blood Center in Bethlehem and the Miller-Keystone Donor Center in Reading. Bloodmobile visits are scheduled in Pennsylvania and New Jersey at businesses (small and large), churches, schools/colleges, and corporate sites. Sponsoring groups who have appropriate internal space may elect on site mobile operations or the self-contained bloodmobile vehicle, which can be parked outside a group site location. Satellite Donor Center locations are located in Allentown, Easton, Hazleton, Quakertown, and Wind Gap.

5. Whole Blood Donations
Volunteer blood donors can give traditional whole blood donations. This type of blood donation can be made at our Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Hazleton or Reading Donor Centers. We also provide blood collections in Quakertown and Wind Gap on various scheduled days. Whole Blood is also collected on self contained bloodmobiles and on mobile drives set up on site inside group locations.

6. Automated Blood Donations
Through state of the art technology, specialized donation equipment provides for the collections of specific blood components. The donor's blood can be separated into Red Blood Cells, Plasma or Platelets. The donor lies on a comfortable contour chair and their blood is drawn from one arm into an automated blood cell separator. This type of medical equipment collects only the blood products needed and returns the balance of the donor's blood to them. Automated blood donations can be made at Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, or Reading Donor Centers and at selected mobile sites.

7. Cholesterol Testing
Cholesterol testing is provided as a public service to all blood donors. Results are mailed.

8. Autologous Donor Program
The Autologous Donor Program provides elective surgery patients the opportunity to donate their own blood prior to surgery. If a transfusion is prescribed during their hospital admission they will receive the blood they donated. This service is available at the Allentown, Bethlehem, Hazleton, and Reading Donor Centers.

9. Designated Donor Program
The Designated Donor Program provides elective surgery patients the opportunity to select their own blood donors. Although choosing friends, family, and neighbors to give blood is not proven to be safer than blood from the community, there are individuals who are more comfortable selecting this option to fulfill their personal blood needs. This service is available at Allentown, Bethlehem, Hazleton, and Reading Donor Centers.

10. Donor Testing Services
Blood donor testing is available for other blood centers and hospital blood donor centers that do not operate their own laboratories. The laboratory is licensed and accredited to provide all routine donor testing procedures required by FDA, AABB and thestates where we provide services for other donor centers.

11. Reference Laboratory and Rare Donor File
Under the direction of a full-time medical director and qualified medical technologists, the Blood Center has an accredited reference laboratory, which solves difficult patient transfusion problems, identifies rare donor blood types and provides compatible blood for hospitalized patients with unusual antibody problems. The laboratory has a computerized rare donor file which contains the names of donors who have rare or unusual combination of blood type factors. Patients in local hospitals as well as patients' nationwide benefit from this service through our national affiliations.

12. Frozen Blood Program
Red blood cells are frozen from donors who have rare blood factors. The program provides the opportunity for the Blood Center to store rare donor blood for future transfusion to patients with difficult compatibility problems. This service is provided to local hospitals and to other blood centers and hospitals nationally.

13. Blood Irradiation
Irradiation of cellular blood components inactivates the white cells in blood products, which can cause graft verses host disease (GVHD). Through the use of irradiation donor white cells are destroyed which prevents the development of this disease in immunocompromised patients.

14. Therapeutic Blood Collections for Hemochromatosis Patients
The Blood Center is licensed by the FDA to collect blood from patients with Hemochromotosis. If the patient meets all routine donor eligibility requirements the blood is placed in the community blood supply. There is no charge for this service.

15. Development Department
The Department is very active in seeking financial support from individuals, corporations & foundations to assist in underwriting capital needs – such as laboratory infrastructure and new technology. They actively engage in raising funds to support and administer its community-based endeavors by providing educational programs, such as My Blood Your Blood, free of charge to local schools in our service area. The Department plans annual fundraising events in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County to increase visibility and raise financial contributions and awareness.

16. Volunteer Services Department
The spirit of volunteerism is very evident at the Blood Center. Hundreds of people from teenagers to senior citizens provide thousands of hours of community service annually. These service volunteers assist staff at donor centers and on blood drives and work "behind the scenes" on clerical assignments at the Blood Center. Business and medical professionals volunteer on the Board and on various committees. These men and women represent the medical community, industry, business, and community at large. Student volunteers come from high schools throughout our service area. All Blood Center volunteers come from communities where our hospital customers are located.

17. Community Education
A program of technical education is provided to students enrolled in nursing, medical assisting and laboratory technology programs at the area's colleges and technical schools. Hospital blood bank physicians and lab personnel are provided continuing education programs through industry teleconferences and technical bulletins. Non-technical education in the community includes presentations at area elementary and secondary schools, service clubs, and industries as well as internships for college students.

Volunteer blood donors must be 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds and be in good health. If you have specific questions about whether you're eligible to donate blood or would like to schedule an appointment, you may call the MKBC at any of the following sites:

Bethlehem Donor Center
1465 Valley Center Parkway
Bethlehem, PA 18018
610-691-5850

Easton Donor Center
Chrin Commons Building
2925 William Penn Hwy., Suite 105
Easton, PA 18045
800-223-6667

Wind Gap Donor Center
Plainfield Township Volunteer Fir Co.
6480 Sullivan Trail
Wind Gap, PA 18091
610-863-8438

Allentown Donor Center
1255 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Suite 1300
Allentown, PA 18103
610-691-5850

Reading Donor Center
2745 A Leiscz's Bridge Road
Reading, PA 19605
610-926-6060

Hazleton Donor Center
Beltway Commons
132 Airport Road
Hazleton, PA 18202
570-454-7820