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 Megan Forrest from Shasta. This month, we’d like to introduce you to Denise Sobiek!

What’s your job title? What do you do? And what do you enjoy most about your job with Blood Centers of the Pacific?
I used to work for Irwin Memorial Blood Bank from 1980 – 1986. Those were the days when the Donor History Questionnaire was a 5x8 card with roughly 15 questions. For the past six years, I have been the Napa Center’s Head Nurse/Supervisor. I love nursing and love my position at the Napa Center. I am also a trainer and train the new RNs to be Head Nurses. I work with an excellent group of people.

Being a supervisor leads me to interact with all BCP departments. Most important is my interaction and an open line of communication with my Donor Collections Manager, Lana Dyson, keeping her informed about what goes on at the Napa Center. My main staff include Jennifer Bretta, Apheresis Nurse, and Greg Proell, Donor Technician, along with one other donor collections float staff. The four of us do it all.

Describe your typical day at the Napa Center
My typical day at the Napa Center is my arrival to the center about 30 minutes prior to my punch in time. I am responsible for the entire center. I make sure the janitor has done his job and make sure the temp-regulated storeroom is and has been in compliance overnight. The registration area is readied with the print up of the donor appointment list, the plateletpheresis appointment list, returning voice mail messages and more.

When staff arrive, we have 15 minutes to perform set-up and quality control. I also inform staff of any issues and or memos, reminders, brief team meetings, etc. Our center has six donor chairs, all can be used for WB/Autos/DD. Two of the six chairs are e-chairs for our dedicated plateletpheresis donors. We have six plateletpheresis donors per day. We also have two Alyx DR machines and all of the North Bay staff are excellent Alyx DR recruiters/teachers.

What are the challenges?
The challenge is to keep a controlled smooth flowing center, this I enjoy maintaining. When this challenge is not met, I usually step back and review and analyze the situation to see what I could do different or better. I also ask my staff for their feedback and input.

Anything else to add?
I feel that the Head Nurse sets the tone for the center and enjoying what I do and keeping a positive attitude sure makes a positive difference.

February is a month well known for cupid and chocolate. It seems that starting immediately after New Year’s Day the store aisles begin filling with heart shaped boxes of candy and conversation hearts. We buy Valentine’s for our children’s class parties; we drop hints that we’d appreciate flowers; we lament (or rejoice) that we will have a quiet day of solitude. Few holidays inspire such Hallmark, cookie-cutter images of big, bright red hearts as this one.

Well step aside Valentine’s Day because those February *hearts* are not to be cast away simply because February 14th has passed! Did you also know that February has also been designated American Heart Month by the American Heart Association? Here at Blood Centers of the Pacific this brings to mind patients undergoing heart surgery who may require blood transfusion.

Each year in the United States over one million heart surgeries are performed and these patients consume up to 16% of the national blood supply.  They range from very young newborns with congenital heart defects to very old patients with heart disease.  It is often these patients on the extremes of the age spectrum who require blood transfusion.  For the very young, red blood cells are needed to fill the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit which serves as the artificial heart and lungs during surgery.  For elderly patients, critical illness and pre-procedure anemia increase the likelihood for blood transfusion.  Older patients are also more likely to be on anti-platelet medications such as aspirin, Clopidogrel or blood thinners such as Warfarin which could necessitate platelet or plasma transfusion in the setting of emergency surgery.

Especially in urban centers such as San Francisco with robust cardiac surgery programs, like those at the hospitals we serve like UCSF, place a strain on the blood supply and require community support.

So this month, American Heart Month, have a heart and donate blood.

Last night the Olympic flame was lit in Vancouver, Canada, and so began the 2010 Olympic winter games. It will now be impossible to read the newspaper, turn on the TV or surf the web without the mention of medals, dreams fulfilled and dashed, and whether the USA, Germany or Canada currently have a higher medal count.

Robert Kaufman wrote an interesting article for CNN about Why The Olympics Matter. He contends that we cheer for sportsmanship and athletic success. However, we also cheer for a multitude of nations coming together with one focus, under common rules and peace.

While we don’t quite give our gold, silver and bronze medals for donating blood, we do honor them with our own BCP awards for milestones reached. You will likely not be surprised that people do get into the competitive spirit with their blood donations. Achieving that one gallon, five gallon, 10-gallon mark is cause for bragging rights for many donors. You may be surprised to know that among the list of the top donors from Blood Systems, Inc., of which Blood Centers of the Pacific is a subsidiary, many are from here in the Bay Area.

Gold medal: Tijeras, NM donor with 795 donations

Silver medal: Redding, CA donor with 575 donations

Bronze medal: Corte Madera, CA donor with 572 donations

Honorable mention: Redding, CA donor with 553 donations

Honorable mention: San Francisco, CA donor with 535 donations

Of course many of these donors give platelets , which can be donated more often than whole blood donations, so keep them in mind if you start wondering how you could possibly compete! Our “Hero In Me” program also recognizes our Bronze Level (donate blood once per year), Silver Level (donate blood twice per year), and Gold Level (donate blood three times per year) donors.

As with the Olympics, what matters is that all those who donate blood and care about the cause of blood donation are united by one common purpose: saving lives. ]]> BloodDrops 2010-02-12T21:59:57+00:00 http://www.bloodcenters.org/blog/landing/rebuilding-cpmc/ http://www.bloodcenters.org/blog/landing/rebuilding-cpmc/ by Kevin McCormack, CPMC Media Relations manager, beer lover and soccer nut

So, an earthquake hits, what is your first thought? – other than that you should have moved to New Mexico when you had the chance. I’m guessing your first thought is to find a safe place till the quake stops. Then what? If we are lucky and it was a small quake you’ll probably just go about your day as usual.

But if it is a major earthquake, well then nothing is certain. The recent disaster in Haiti showed what happens when a major earthquake destroys basic infrastructure. There’s no water. No food. No shelter. And no hospitals to take care of those injured.

Here in the Bay Area we live with the knowledge that a major earthquake is not just a possibility, it’s a certainty. But are we ready to deal with one?

If the dreaded “big one” were to hit the Bay Area in the next few years there are real doubts that many of our hospitals would be able to remain open to help patients. Many of the buildings are 50 or more years old and might not withstand a large quake.

That’s why CPMC California Pacific Medical Center is planning on building two, new, state-of-the-art hospitals that are capable of withstanding even a quake of the size that leveled much of Port-au-Prince.

So, when a quake hits we hope your first thought isn’t “I need to get to the hospital.” But if it is then we want to make sure we are here to help you.

For more information go to www.rebuildcpmc.org

This is a significant year for me.

Twenty years ago one early January morning, my mom came to my room to tell me I did not have to go to school that day because, “Daddy is gone.”

My father had passed away from cancer.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I heard “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty on the radio and it gave me goosebumps. I remember listening to it on my Walkman in 1989. I remember it because I had just lied to my dad that morning. We had asked him to point to the letter “A” and he proudly pointed to “C.” And I told him through fake smiles and “wows” that he was correct. My father was an intelligent man, having studied law in the U.K., and had excelled at what he did.

Deep inside, I was crushed.

My daddy was a well-built, stocky man but by the time cancer had taken its toll, he was skin and bones, had lost his speech and was bed-ridden. My mom, even with her small 5’2” frame, could easily rotate his frail body several times a day so he would not get more bed sores. I do not like the term “vegetable” but that’s essentially what he had become.

This all happened in my home country of Malaysia. And now, 20 years later, I am here in San Francisco sharing this story with you. I wanted to write this for three reasons. It is a tribute to my dad on the 20th anniversary of his passing. I also wanted to write this to honor the strength of my mom and siblings who have come a long way since then. And last but not least, I wanted to write this to remind you that February 4th is World Cancer Day.

Malaysia and the United States are thousands of miles apart. But cancer knows no boundaries. I know of so many in the Bay Area who have survived cancer, are fighting cancer and remember those who unfortunately, have passed away because of it. Cancer is the leading cause of death around the world, regardless of country. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 84 million will die of the disease between 2005 and 2015 without intervention. As I understand all too well, cancer not only affects the patient but their family, friends and loved ones around them.

Each year on February 4, WHO supports International Union Against Cancer to promote ways to ease the global burden of cancer. Preventing cancer and raising quality of life for cancer patients are recurring themes. This year’s theme, “Cancer can be prevented too,” focuses on simple measures to prevent cancer such as:

  * No tobacco use;

  * A healthy diet and regular exercise;

  * Limited alcohol use; and

* Protection against cancer-causing infections.

Working at Blood Centers of the Pacific, I’ve come to understand and appreciate the role of our special blood donors who help cancer patients fight their battle by donating platelets. This special component helps stop bleeding and is used in large quantities by leukemia and other cancer patients. We need more special blood donors like these!

On this significant day and thereafter, please join the fight against cancer and donate platelets. World Cancer Day is a perfect time to start. Thank you donors. ]]> BloodDrops 2010-02-04T16:58:33+00:00 http://www.bloodcenters.org/blog/landing/spotlights-on-megan-forrest/ http://www.bloodcenters.org/blog/landing/spotlights-on-megan-forrest/ an interview with Megan Forrest, Community Service Representative at the Shasta Blood Center

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 Peter Kite, Technical Operations Support Supervisor. This month, meet Megan Forrest!

What’s your job title? And what do you do?
I am the Community Service Representative for BCP’s Shasta Blood Center (SBC). I set up, organize and run all of the mobile blood drives for our center in Redding. A very important aspect of my job is building lasting relationships with blood drive coordinators and donors. I am responsible for keeping up with the demands of our scheduled blood drives and continually booking new ones. Our pursuit for new locations and donors is never complete. 

Describe your typical day at SBC
My typical day is filled with a variety of tasks. Daily I have a list of responsibilities that can include any of the following: contacting coordinators for upcoming blood drives, calling potential sites for meetings, working with the local media, managing relationships with sponsors, collaborating with high school and college students, approving flyers/mailings/promotions/emails/thank yous, confirming logistics, working closely with our Director Ellie Delgado, management and staff. Let’s just say there is never a dull moment!

What do you like best/most about your job?
Everything! My position with BCP, more than any other I’ve held, is so fulfilling. I really don’t mind getting up every morning. The aspect I like the best or most is my close relationship with all of the wonderful people. I am responsible for building lasting relationships with co-workers, coordinators, sponsors and donors all in the honor of saving someone’s life. It is simply amazing.

What are the challenges?
There are always challenges that present themselves. The biggest being logistics and education. It can be difficult at times to coordinate our mobile blood drives in regards to who, what, where, when and how. In the end though we always seem to make it work. Also challenging is the lack of knowledge the general population has about blood donation. Education is key in recruiting new blood donors whether it be clearing up misconceptions or just relaying the need for blood. These challenges can present issues but can be managed.

Anything else to add?
I love my job, my co-workers and the wonderful people out there saving lives! 

Tug makes his way across the halls of the University of California-San Francisco Hospital easily, transporting blood for transfusions. He quickly goes up and down elevators and through doorways with his products safely guarded. When he reaches his destination, he drops off the contents and heads back to the laboratory to wait for his next assignment…Tug is not your traditional blood banking employee. For one, he is not exactly a person. He is actually a member of the robot species.

“The robot fills in the gaps at our center because we have a very busy service and don’t have pneumatic tubes to all locations” Delene Johnson, former BCP employee and current Transfusion Service Supervisor at UCSF, said. “It takes the burden off our staff, especially at night and on the weekends, when there are not as many employees here.”...

At Johnson’s facility, the laboratory staff load Tug with blood products, select a preprogrammed destination on a computer touch screen, and press the robot’s green “go” button. Just like that, the machine is on its way to a medical wing of the hospital. When it reaches its destination, the robot verbally announces its arrival, at which point personnel must enter an electronic code to unlock the cart cabinet and access the contents. As with accepting components from a human deliverer, staffers must sign to confirm the blood products were received; the robot then returns the signed document to the laboratory…

Even though each robot came with a $25,000 price tag, Gifford Lum, MD, the blood bank director at the Boston VA, insisted that they are very cost-effective, saving the facility money on personnel time. Lum and San Francisco’s Johnson agree that the robots are easy to use, and Lum is encouraging health care workers in nearby facilities to adopt this product.

“We’ve really had a good experience with the robots,” he said. “They never tire or call in sick.”

Robots’ Other Applications

Facilities are branching out and using robots for other aspects of blood banking and transfusion medicine besides carrying components. In Korea, for example, scientists at the Pohang University of Science and Technology developed a robot that could perform almost 100 different types of tests on blood. In the U.K., a robot known as the “Bloodbot” has been designed to draw blood samples from humans, although it is still in the experimental stages.

Three robots are being used to sort blood samples at the Red Cross Plasma Sample Management Facility in Birmingham, Alabama…

“Using a robot has definite advantages. Its benefits include reducing human handling of potentially hazardous specimens, improving productivity and eliminating mistakes,” said Cynthia McCrorie, director of plasma sample management at the Red Cross. “It takes the human error part out of the equation. The repetitive nature of manual sorting would be pretty overwhelming for a person.”

This article was excerpted from AABB News.

Image from Boxed Thrills.]]> BloodDrops 2010-01-26T23:14:49+00:00 http://www.bloodcenters.org/blog/landing/daybreakers-thumbs-up-or-thumbs-down/ http://www.bloodcenters.org/blog/landing/daybreakers-thumbs-up-or-thumbs-down/ Interview with Mary Sjostrom, Director of Finance and horror film buff, especially of the “Saw” movies

Between TV, movies, and books it seems like vampires are everywhere these days! A new movie, Daybreakers , starring Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, just came out and not only does it include vampires, it also centers on blood banks. Imagine that! In the year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into a vampire.Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival. Meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of vampires on a way to save humankind.

We thought it only fitting to have one of our staff give their review of the film so Blood Drops recently sat down with our Director of Finance, Mary Sjostrom.

Blood Drops: Mary, why did you decide to go see Daybreakers?

Mary:  Well, I totally thought that the movie would enhance my job at BCP.  Being that I’m not involved in Operations, I thought the movie would give me a better perspective of blood banking in general.

Blood Drops: Without giving too much away, what was your favorite part of the movie?

Mary: Similar to humans, vampires also like their coffee—but with 20 percent blood.  With the blood shortage encountered in the movie, 20 percent was reduced to 5 percent, and boy did all havoc break loose when the vampires couldn’t get their 20 percent!!

Blood Drops: I’ve heard that in the movie they are faced with only a few days supply of blood! Here at BCP we often are up against blood shortages, as blood only lasts 42 days (and platelets only five days!). Did you see any other parallels between the movie and Blood Centers of the Pacific?

Mary: Absolutely, but I don’t think there’s enough room or time to describe them all!  First of all, the vampires totally need the blood to survive, very similar to the patients that we serve.  As a matter of fact, I think the vampires need the blood even MORE than our patients!  Throughout the movie, they were constantly conversing about finding a “blood substitute.”  The character played by Ethan Hawke (Chief Hematologist) reminded me very much of our CEO—he seemed very intelligent, compassionate and capable. The vampires work round-the-clock to ensure an adequate blood supply, very similar to BCP’s employees.

Blood Drops: What happens if the vampires don’t get the blood they need? 

Mary: Without blood, the vampires will not only harm themselves—but others as well. 

Blood Drops: What about if it is Edward from Twilight?

Mary: You won’t believe this, but I actually haven’t seen Twilight.  It’s not a gory enough movie for me!  I need raw gore (like “Saw”), and to my understanding that’s not the Twilight movies.  They’re too sophomoric for me.

Blood Drops: Would you recommend this movie?

Mary: Absolutely!  I usually see one movie a week, and by far this has been the best movie I’ve seen all year!  I sure hope it doesn’t get forgotten next year when the Academy Award nominations take place—it should win Best Picture!

Blood Drops: You are the Director of Finance so you see a lot of what goes on in the organization - any chance that BCP has any undercover vampires?

Mary: You know, I never really thought about it, but now that you mention it—it’s quite possible!  We do have several employees that will only work at night so as to avoid daylight.  But, we do have an outstanding Quality Department, so I’m sure their audits would uncover any potential vampires, so on second thought I don’t think there are any vampires.  Plus we have our own blood shortages, so we certainly don’t have any extra blood for vampires!