‘KEEP LOCAL BLOOD LOCAL’ RALLY
10am Monday at the Central Blood Bank of Pittsburgh/Otters blood drive at the Tullio Arena
ERIE, PA – The Central Blood Bank of Pittsburgh is again holding a blood drive in Erie that will take hundreds of pints of blood out of the county. As the ONLY supplier of blood in Erie County for the past 4 decades the Community Blood Bank, which often struggles to meet the needs of local hospitals, is obligated to inform the public about the importance of giving blood locally.
The Community Blood Bank will be holding a ‘Keep Local Blood Local’ Rally from 10-11a.m. at the Tullio Arena parking lot in response to the Central Blood Bank of Pittsburgh’s 2-day blood drive with the local hockey team.
Only 1 out of 33 adults donates, and there simply aren’t enough donors in Erie to provide for the local need and for Pittsburgh. The Community Blood Bank only draws blood from where it supplies and, until recently, that was also true of the Central Blood Bank of Pittsburgh which supplies from Pittsburgh up to Meadville.
Multiple blood banks competing for Erie donors creates confusion, adds to costs, and will affect the safety of the local blood supply. The current supply is 300 pints lower than a year ago at this time.
“Please come out and show your support,” said Dan Desrochers, director of marketing at the Community Blood Bank. “We are taking a stand on behalf of all patients in Erie County who will need blood.”
In Erie at 2646 Peach Street open Mon, – Fri 8 a.m.—6p.m.; And Sat 9a.m.-12:30p.m.
Why are the Otters working with the Central Blood Bank instead of the local outfit? Are they being paid by the Pittsburgh blood bank?
Civil Defense in the 40′s, 50′s, and 1960′s was an alarming time. Nuclear and hydrogen bombs were being tested for the military, by us and Russia, and a smidgen of small countries. The atmosphere was loaded with radioactivity.
Whole islands disappeared in the South Pacific, and Nevada and NM were turned from sand to glass in areas.
People built bomb shelters, below ground to protect their family in the event of nuclear fallout, from tests or war. Many public buildings were converted to fallout shelters, and at the sound of an alarm, you were directed to the nearest shelter, supposedly for safety.
We even hid our heads under our desks at school to “protect” ourselves. Of course, the entire building would evaporate in the multimillion degrees of heat from one bomb, but no one talked about that.
I thought of all of this watching Japan recently, in their admirable restraint and collective cadence, in restoring life after tsunami and radiation, again hit their homes.
Human vocabulary does not contain words to describe the devastation of the land, the employment, lovers perished, families destroyed, and more.
I admired the way they calmly lifted their elders on their backs and carried their family to safety, maybe miles away.
Would our youth do this, or run for the hills? I just don’t know, for in Japan, aged is respected for wisdom learned and passed on. The generations are culturally linked.
In our land, it became apparent with bomb shelters, that the rich would likely survive, and the poor have no place to go.
Some personal shelters were elaborate, with electricity, food supplies, beds, beer, amenities, and shotguns to keep others out.
It dawned on people that neighbors were people you could LIVE WITH, but not DIE WITH.
Japan defied that notion recently, and helped one another.
The personal shelters are now confined out West pretty much, for some crazies, and also some sane, who need tornado protection below ground.
But most nuclear protection buildings, and their accompanied signs of direction have disappeared in the USA. Who would want to survive such devastation, particularly if you had to shoot thy neighbor as you locked them out?
Dan, you do a wonderful job collecting and distributing blood supplies as needed, by whoever needs it. I believe you wrote on Press and Tower that Erie Blood went to Pittsburgh at times
(I could be wrong as I visit P&T far less than before; no posts at all to read).
But Dan Desroachers “furious” is NOT a good image at encouraging blood donation and the article did great damage, and malignment, of you and the community.
If it were not a productive activity, Pittsburgh would not return to Erie for blood supplies. I admire them for using our community to save a life.
That is NOT to say that I admire Erie Community Blood Bank any less. Your work is noble.
But in college days, it was common for fundraising to send 300 guys from Edinboro to Cleveland, and give a pint for $10 each, back than. We now had $3,000 for a weekend with the fair ladies of Edinboro…..source of the name “Fightin’ Scots” in those days.
The parties were spectacular and often, and when money was needed, off went 300 guys to Cleveland, and came home a pint of blood less each.
I admire Erie as a town struggling for survival on its own, yet willing to donate blood so that others may live.
I encourage you to move that meter that registers 1 of 33 in the county donate blood, up to, say, 10 per 33 in the county donate.
It will NEVER be 100% as some are kids, some are aged, and some have diseased blood, or do not qualify to donate.
And some are in jail. Can they donate and get a day off their sentence each time? Dunno, but we have a lot in jail….blood I mean.
But certainly more folks, can do so, if you pursued them NOT to refrain from giving blood to Pittsburgh, but to give blood as often and wherever possible, and show at least one person they know how simple it is to do.
Imagine being part of a community that is literally the “lifeblood” to citizens in other communities as well.
JOIN Pittsburgh in their effort and clarion call for donated blood. Add a full week, not 2 days, and split whatever is collected.
Bring complete classes from high school, —not paying them,— but giving them a lesson in civics, with high schools competing on who gave most total.
Ditto that for our college kiddos.
Next day, get the churches to compete on which group/denomination made the greatest contribution to life!
Next day, have employers compete as they do for United Way, and let employees go to donate during working hours, with PAY.
Let the media proclaim which company made the greatest difference.
Like it or not, Erie is UPMC, and St. Vincent will soon be cojoined to the Cleveland Clinic. We do not even want the perception that their care is unworthy of our blood.
We need them as much as they need us.
There is enough blood to go around for all.
Better marketing strategies at working together, for the betterment of all, are in order.
Create and publish at Erie Blogs an Excel Spreadsheet of ALL types of blood you use annually, add a color pie chart for pizzazz. Ask our state reps to get blood type on our driver’s license, and schools to teach children what THEIR type is.
When you locate the “rare type” needs, pursue these people with the fact that THEY too, need the rare type and will receive such, especially after donating for others.
Let’s make this a bit more educational, and positive, instead of hiding in our “nuclear shelter” mentality of “us first” ala the Community Blood Bank, and allowing our neighbors to be locked out to die.
I encourage others to pen their thoughts here on ways to make blood donation productive, increasing, a part of your routine of life as a citizen, and fun as well as educational.
Perhaps working together, we can reduce our health care costs in total for a change.
If someone can market this stuff, speak up here.
I commend your work Dan. Rethink the possibilities of working together and increasing blood for all, not infighting for just us. Let Big Pharma give medicine a bad name, while Erie, gives medicine a good name.
Have you sent your doctor a “Thank You” Card lately, out-of-the-blue, for keeping you tuned-up over the years?
No Hallmark! Make it personal.
Hallmark is for when you care to send the very best, but don’t care enough to do it yourself.
I had a nurse at Hamot this month who stroked my arm up and down softly, rhythmically, and persistent…as I spoke with another nurse, that I turned to my right and asked if the first gal was falling in love over there. No luck. :(
She was trying to find a vein to put the needle in and knock me out. Be nice to nurses!
How about a 20% discount on all hospital bills for any blood donator that year? This encourages repeat donating.
Lawyers do not qualify as they would tort it somehow, and already, suck enough blood out of all of us already.
Oh another Dan. How about an alphabetical blood donation month.
25 weekdays; 26 letters of the alphabet (combine “X’ and “Q”).
See what last name letter of the alphabet gives the most.
Pie chart that, then give us cherry pies from North East Festival. Plan a blood drive at all of those festivals.
Marketing donations has not yet begun. We can do better!
Let’s not fight about blood donations again.
Danny,
We’ve tried to work with the Central blood Bank of Pittsburgh. A few years ago we did run drives and split the blood but it turned out to be more effort than it was worth, splitting and coordinating staff, splitting media and all of that so we went back to the Crawford-Erie County line as the border as Central Blood bank of Pittsburgh supplies Meadville. Then they started coming to Erie and quickly found out what we already know, the people of Erie are generous, giving people. Since then they have not answered our calls, letters, or emails.
Only 1 out 33 adults gives blood. This is nationwide number. Our job is to provide for the patients at local hospitals and making people aware of Pittsburgh’s efforts is part of it.
Dan,
I commend your past efforts at coordination with other blood banks.
Work out the kinks, and make a joint effort at increasing donation everywhere.
You did not identify 1 of 33 are donors as a “national statistic”, but apparently, Erie folks are higher in generosity per your second posting here. Well, capitalize on that and continue to focus on increasing donations here, and everywhere.
The bickering is nonproductive. Press and Tower labeled you “Furious” in their first blurb, and now, they are running a post called “Blood Wars”.
Is this really how you want your life work to be identified?
For what it is worth, you are not alone in returning to the bunker mentality of days of yore; nuclear bunkers are back, in order that those with money may survive nuclear threat:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372289/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-Sales-doomsday-nuclear-bunkers-soars-1000.html
Nebraska citizens can last a year without surfacing. But a 50 megaton hit is minor, given the hydrogen bomb, and God knows what we have created and disbursed since 1960. After a year underground, they will surface to a world of nothing left.
So too with blood donation.
We survive in unison, working together, or we all perish.
Your job is to recognize the imperative nature of the former, and implement it now.
Your effort screams “DON’T GIVE BLOOD” to people who do, rather than “ONLY GIVE BLOOD IN ERIE”. The message is getting mixed.
The market is wide open. Why?
All people need the blood.
Success is possible ONLY by helping one another. This is even more crucial since Hamot joined UPMC, and St. Vincent will alliance with the Cleveland Clinic.
WWII was won by positive splitting and coordinating staff.
Wars since, have been lost, as we lead “Coalitions of the Willing” and other nonsense alliances.
Your war is life or death, and the balance is determined by blood supplies available.
Ally with Presque Isle Days in July and get donations where the people are.
Have a relay for blood with the Erie Runners Group.
The Turkey Trot each Thanksgiving has a jillion runners, regardless of weather that day. I suppose they need their blood to run, and recuperate, but a coffee stand, or hot tea stand, by you, may induce the runners to Trot to your spot on one day of the long holiday weekend. You won’t know unless you try.
Where is your posting on criteria of people who can, and who can NOT donate? Hepatitis folks in or out? I presume Aids would eliminate donation. What other variables? Can you recruit donors from our jail population? They are a captive audience.
We Love Erie Days draws a crowd.
Get your mobile unit down there.
Last, let Pittsburgh know that you will not fight them when BOTH of you have the same admirable goals…blood supplies for all.
Do you have an exchange program worked out with them that if their area or ours are low, the other sends their blood accordingly?
If not, set one up, and then work together to replenish all.
I have listed a series of areas to pursue in increasing blood supply in comment one and two.
You have denoted why cooperation does not work.
This is as effective as building nuclear bomb shelters in the year 2011 again. Rethink your strategies.
Raise your profile in novel ways.
In view of the fact that Erie is losing population per the census, I find it hard to believe we are giving more blood than ten years ago, and the national numbers you give (1 of 33 adults donate) would effectively deteriorate as our town loses citizens.
It is in your best interest, and ours, to increase donation ratios, not bicker on who will store the blood. Such infighting makes everyone just stay away from the matter and donors will decline.
Your reply was appreciated.
But what I want to see is real numbers.
What was used by type, by year, locally, by pints?
How many donors are needed per month to meet that need?
What is the hardest type to supply, why, and what are you doing about it? (Perhaps that is the true reason Pittsburgh comes here…assuming we have a specially needed type in supply).
Lay some facts out Dan, not rhetoric.
People respond to truth around here, and likely in Pittsburgh as well.
Are you restricted by state? What about joining Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Erie, for a MONTH long drive to benefit all those spots?
I have looked at the Press and Tower Feedjit system of who visits the blog, and what they search to get there. You being “furious” trailed the post for months. It did not make Erie look good at all.
Now, we have Blood Wars at P&T, while the issues of Broadband, AT&T swallowing T-Mobile, Blog Trends, Twitter growth, monetizing the NY Times, and Facebook, all go unreported at the media blog.
And no one locally is getting on GE’s case for making billions and paying zero tax, but getting a $4 BILLION tax credit.
Just furious and blood wars makes news.
I have no data, but I suspect a full post of facts and charts at Erie Blogs would gain wider readership than doing so anywhere else.
Your behavior, and actions, are your call. Choose wisely.
What’s wrong with the Otters????? Why are they doing this to the local community???
And Danny – brevity is a virtue…
Wow! Now I can finally show everyone that I’m truly not the “King of the Rant”. Now that I’ve discovered Danny Lucus! I mean is this guy on keyboard crack or what? You go Boy!! What I myself always wonder when I see these blood drive articles is that nobody bothers to question why blood is given for free then the hospitals turn around and charge highly for it. I guess selling blood is bad. No wait, selling your blood is bad, selling someone else’s blood is good and highly profitable I’m sure. Maybe it’s just my illness.
The Community Blood Bank is a non-profit (So it the Central Blood Bank) The hospitals pay us for the cost of collection, processing, testing and administering the blood inventory. These things are NOT free, but the Community Blood Bank does hold the distinction of being the lowest cost blood provider in the ENTIRE United States. We save our hospitals millions of dollars compared to our competitors. We charge about 40% less than Central Blood Bank of Pittsburgh for the same pint. Unfortunately this increased competition will only raise costs as we try to compete.
I always love the non-profit excuse but it’s getting sort of kackey. I mean the NYSE was a non-profit that paid it’s CEO $30 million a year with a $140 million severance package. So that kind of blows that whole thing out of the water. And didn’t you blood folks kill all those hemophiliacs in the 1980s when you didn’t want to test the blood supply with a hepatitis test that also worked at a high percentage for detecting AIDS because it was too expensive or as the excuse was not 100% proven? As for competition over the blood supply well that just seems to prove my point about selling free donations. For profit health care is just a sham where human beings become nothing more than objects used to obtain the most profit, not the best health care. Once again it must be my illness.
So whats the problem ? How many Erie county residents seek treatment in a Pittsburgh Hospital for something that cant be treated in a local hospital.We all know someone who has gone to a Pittsburgh hospital.
@Me,
He who uses 8 ???????? in 2 sentences is not qualified to speak on brevity. And you may want to brush up on virtues as well.
There is room for you to apply tangible thought to what I wrote days ago. Better yet, scroll by and don’t read my writing at all.
Comprehension is a virtue.
Have a nice day. :)
@Usul,
Thanks for the props!
They help me overlook your spell error of my name.
I also appreciate that you took the time to add value to the discussion….compared to the “Me” above.
Your observation on blood pricing is not totally expanded on by Dan there, in reply.
Take a look at any hospital bill for blood received (rarely a sole pint) and you will question where the money really ends up.
The wallet is UPMC. And your friendly insurance company.
You ask fair questions here. I got all you wrote except “kackey”.
Maybe @Me knows that word. It is brief, but makes no sense to me.
Regardless of your illness, it pales compared to the illness of GREED going on in our health care.
Check Organ Donor on your driver’s license and you are worth more dead on the scene, than alive. It becomes organ harvest season.
I used to know the local gal who used a 6 pack cooler, for removal of eyeballs for a living. You will never see her boss on TV as Undercover Boss, eh?
Thanks for adding to the conversation.
“Me” could learn from you.
Good luck, and prayers, for your illness.
The Central Blood Bank of Pittsburgh provides blood to Meadville Medical Center & they consider Crawford county & south to be their territory. (We supply Titusville and hold drives there) more people from Crawford, Mercer & Venago Counties end up in Erie hospitals than patients from Erie go to Pittsburgh. The LifeStar helicopter flies every mission with our blood on board and goes south everyday. We don’t think we need to hold drives in those counties to ‘make up’ for blood used. We think we need to make sure the blood is available for whoever needs it. It adds to costs to go to where the patient lives. That’s why the Community Blood Bank of NW PA only draws where we supply. This might also explain why our costs to our client hospitals are so much less per unit of blood than the Central Blood Bank of Pittsburgh’s.
I love there slogan: Brighten Life
Brighten Life, Save a Life, continue to employ a Quality Assurance Coordinator who has taken a life. Here is the link to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11057/1128224-55.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml
Jason Gmuer works in the Greentree, PA laboratory for Central Blood Bank. The company was aware of the situation from the beginning and continue to employ and support him now. He is so worried about his up coming trial and so devastated over the loss of his son, that he ran in the 2011 Komen Race for a Cure in Pittsburgh, Central Blood Bank supported him.