Archives for August 2010

Spotlight’s On: Dena Terashima - 2010 08 26

BCP has many departments and hundreds of employees. Do you know the function of each department? Or the role of many of our staff members? Each month, we’ll spotlight a staff member or department. Last month we interviewed BCP’s Special Donations Representative, Tim Somera. This month, we’d like to introduce you to Dena Terashima! 

What’s your job title? And what do you do?
I am the Hospital Services Supervisor and I guarantee a high level of internal/external customer service is practiced in the department. My job also includes training, scheduling, counseling and performance evaluations for dispensers and drivers. In addition, I monitor blood component inventory and manage outdates, as well as inspect and communicate with hospitals to ensure all service-related issues are addressed and remedied.

Describe your typical day at work.
I start the day at the desk taking and filling morning blood component needs. This gives me great insight into what our hospitals need and I take this to the morning meeting. There is a lot of paperwork to review, training to facilitate and projects to keep me busy and out of trouble.

What do you like best/most about your job?
The wonderful people I work with, of course. There is a variety of experience, strengths, and challenges that makes us such a well-balanced team.

What are the challenges? How do you overcome them?
The hardest thing for me is trying to keep on top of everything that comes my way on a daily basis. Organization and flexibility is the key to the madness. I have a great support system and everyone is very patient with me, so I feel confident that I will establish a better working system with time.

How long have you worked at BCP?
I started in the Components Lab in 2007, moved to Technical Operations - Quality Control at the end of 2007 and then transferred to Hospital Services in 2009.

Thanks you Dena for all of your hard work to make sure the hospitals we serve have the blood they need to keep saving lives! We’re so glad to have you!

Tuesdays with Jayne - 2010 08 19

There are some who visit the same café or diner for several years because they have a favorite server they like to converse with.

Similarly, at the Redwood City Center (RCC), there are some people who donate blood only on Tuesdays for that very same reason. They enjoy talking to Jayne Bloom.

“Sometimes I’ll peruse the newspapers so I can have topics to talk to donors about,” said Jayne, a RCC canteen hostess. “I learn a lot about our donors and love hearing their interesting stories, as they come from all walks of life. Often times I’ll tell donors to come back on a Tuesday to donate. They also love it when I remember a little tidbit about them the next time round.” Just one of the many volunteer opportunities available at BCP, a canteen host keeps an eye on the health and safety of our blood donors after their donation while serving them refreshments.

“I was giving blood one day, saw the canteen hostess and thought I would like to volunteer as one too,” said Jayne, who has four sons and five grandchildren. “RCC felt like a good place to give back and a great way to socialize.”

A dedicated BCP volunteer since 2008, Jayne, who says volunteering is a “no-brainer since one doesn’t need to do homework,” has already donated more than 183 hours of her time!

A San Francisco State graduate, Jayne used to wear several hats before she retired. She was a floral designer for 20 years with her own business, regional coordinator for Canon, a receptionist, and most proudly, a stay-at-home mother looking after her four sons.

Now, she says volunteering gives her personal satisfaction. “This is a great way to give back if one can’t donate money,” said Jayne. “What more can you ask for? Blood donors are nice people. And to do something nice for them, it’s one of the best things in life.”

BCP thanks Jayne for all her hours of volunteering and great conversations with our donors! Thank you!

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