Evans, GA (December 17, 2024) – The Blood Connection (TBC), your community blood center is expanding more convenient ways to donate blood in the greater Augusta area by opening a new, permanent blood donation center in Evans, GA.  The ribbon cutting will take place at 11am on Tuesday, December 17^th in partnership with the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce.

“We are proud to give the greater Augusta community more ways to donate in the community by unveiling our new Evans Center,” said Delisa English, President and CEO of The Blood Connection. “With our Evans and Augusta centers, we are ensuring donors receive industry leading hospitality, respect for time, professionalism, and gratitude for their selfless act of heroism—donating blood. Blood is a lifeline during an emergency and is vital for patients at Doctors Hospital and the JMS Burn Center who receive our blood products thanks to local lifesavers.”

The newest fixed donation site represents another milestone for the non-profit blood center as they expand their Georgia operations—bolstering their support for over 120 hospitals in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia. As the blood provider to Doctors Hospital of Augusta, this donation center will give TBC the ability to expand its’ ability to collect and distribute life-saving blood products in the local community.

In addition to whole blood donations, members of the Evans community will have the opportunity to donate platelets and plasma, which are blood components commonly used by patients fighting cancer or bleeding disorders, as well as burn victims.

The Evans donation center is open from Friday to Tuesday from 9am to 4pm, and the Augusta donation center is open 7 days a week from 7am-7pm Monday through Friday, and 7am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, or to make an appointment, please visit thebloodconnection.org/donate.

About The Blood Connection

Founded in Greenville, SC, The Blood Connection has been committed to saving lives since 1962. TBC is an independently managed, not-for-profit, community blood center that provides blood products to over 130 hospitals within South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. Recognized by the U.S. Congress for its dedication to disaster preparedness and the community, TBC works diligently to collect blood from volunteer donors to meet the ever-increasing demand. By keeping collections local, TBC serves hundreds of thousands of patients a year in its communities. TBC is licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information, visit thebloodconnection.org.

PIEDMONT, SC (December 5, 2024) – The Blood Connection, your community blood center, announced today the opening of its newest donation center in Greenville, NC to support local hospitals like ECU Health. The new center, located in Woodridge Park, is TBC’s latest of 20 centers that provide more convenient ways to donate blood, earn TBC rewards and save lives in eastern North Carolina. The grand opening and ribbon cutting will take place on Tuesday, December 10^th at 11am in partnership with the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce.

“We are so happy to open the doors of a permanent donor center to the Greenville community,” said Delisa English, President and CEO of The Blood Connection. “Greenville has proven itself as a life-saving community by donating for its friends, neighbors and family members who need treatment at ECU Health. Thank you for welcoming us into your community and for your commitment to blood donation.”

“Access to blood and blood products is vital to delivering life-saving care, especially in rural regions like eastern North Carolina,” said Caryl Havasy, System Administrator for Laboratory Services at ECU Health. “The opening of The Blood Connection’s new donation center in Greenville supports our ability to serve the community by ensuring a reliable, local supply of blood products for our trauma patients, individuals undergoing chemotherapy, transplant recipients and many others.”

As Greenville’s community blood center, donating blood with TBC directly affects the communities where donors live and work. Patients and hospitals across eastern North Carolina rely on generous blood donors to ensure blood products are available for trauma patients, those undergoing chemotherapy treatment, anyone requiring a transplant and so many more. Blood cannot be replicated or produced in a lab; it must come from a human. Every hospital order has a patient attached to it–someone in the community who desperately needs those blood products for their recovery. As the blood provider for the ECU Health system, this donation center will give TBC the ability to expand collections and distribute life-saving blood products throughout the community.

The Woodridge Park donation center in Greenville, NC will be open Friday through Tuesday from 9am-4pm. Appointments are encouraged, walk-ins are welcome. For more information or to make an appointment please visit thebloodconnection.org/donate.

About The Blood Connection

The Blood Connection has been committed to saving lives since 1962. Founded in Greenville, South Carolina, TBC is an independently managed, not-for-profit, community blood center that provides blood products to more than 120 hospitals within South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. TBC works diligently to collect blood from volunteer donors to meet the ever-increasing demand. By keeping collections local, TBC serves hundreds of thousands of patients a year in its communities. TBC is licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information, visit thebloodconnection.org.

PIEDMONT, SC (October 4, 2024) – The Blood Connection (TBC) is partnering with the Greenville Drive, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, and Bon Secours St. Francis for a community blood drive during a time of urgent need or blood donations following Hurricane Helene. The blood drive will be a two-day event offering the Upstate community a chance to donate their rewards to charities supporting recovery efforts for our neighbors in western North Carolina.

The blood drives will take place on Monday, October 7th from 10am–3pm at Fluor Field, and Tuesday, October 8^that Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System from 9am–4pm and Bon Secours Eastside from 9am-4pm.

Every blood donor will receive $50 in TBC rewards that they may choose to donate to charities via TBC’s donor portal to aid hurricane relief in western North Carolina. Charities eligible for donation include Samaritan’s Purse and North Carolina Foundation for Nursing (in support of the NC Nurses Association). The Drive will also be collecting essential items to donate to affected families and organizations. Those that donate will receive 20% off at the team store. The Drive will also donate 2 complimentary tickets per donor to their Halloween event, the Monster Mash, on October 25^th. New Realm Brewing will offer Monday donors 10% off their check at the brewery that day.

As the local blood provider for all hospitals in the Upstate, Mission Health, UNC Health, and Advent Health in western Carolina, and countless other hospitals, EMS, and air transport throughout the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia, all blood donations made with The Blood Connection ensures your blood is used at a local hospital—providing lifesaving blood products to your neighbors and family.

“Being a community blood center means more than ensuring blood products stock the shelves of hospitals, it means caring for the communities we serve,” said Delisa English, President and CEO of The Blood Connection. “While our thoughts and prayers remain with each person, family, business, and hospital impacted by Hurricane Helene, we are proud to give the Upstate a way to give back and show love to our neighbors in western North Carolina.”

“For years, The Greenville Drive and The Blood Connection have worked together closely to help tell the incredible story of the Blood Connection and rally our community around the critical need for blood donations,” said Jeff Brown, President of the Greenville Drive. “And this is especially true right now, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as the need for blood in our community and especially in Western North Carolina has never been greater.” Brown continued, “Blood is a resource that can’t be manufactured, it has to be donated from one person to the next. We encourage everyone in the community to join us at Fluor Field to make a life-saving blood donation and help those most in need.”

“We have witnessed such tragedy among families and neighbors who have lost loved ones, gone without power, sustained property damage and have struggled to access food and essential resources,” said System Vice President of Professional Services, Lori McMillan. “Resources like water, food, power and gas have been shared among neighbors and utilized to start rebuilding, and now is the time to continue that spirit of giving through blood donation.”

“Bon Secours is grateful for the unwavering support we have received over this past week as we have worked to recover from the impact of Hurricane Helene,” said Jenny Wehrs, COO, Bon Secours-Greenville. “We are committed to helping others in greatly impacted areas, and together with our partners, we are encouraging the upstate community to donate blood for use in the treatment of patients in devastated areas of North Carolina.”

Appointments are encouraged, walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment, visit thebloodconnection.org/donate.

PIEDMONT, SC (Sept. 25, 2024) – As many are stocking their shelves with hurricane essentials like water and non-perishables, The Blood Connection (TBC), your community blood center, urges the community to do the same for local hospitals by donating blood or platelets before and after Hurricane Helene to ensure scheduled surgeries and emergency operations can still happen for patients who need care so they can more quickly begin their journey towards healing.

“Without local donors, surgeries may be postponed for the aunt scheduled for a hip replacement, blood may not be readily available for the daily transfusion needs of a sickle cell patient, and all the while patients will enter local hospitals from a car wreck needing a transfusion to have another chance at life,” said Delisa English, President and CEO of the Blood Connection. “The Blood Connection is working diligently to make sure no hospital, ambulance service, or air transport service we support across the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia face any disruption to their surgeries and care for their local communities. We need blood for the everyday needs of our health partners, and it takes brave local donors to keep blood products on the shelves for their community.”

As Helene makes landfall, it will bring high winds and heavy rain that will disrupt The Blood Connection’s collection of blood products as bloodmobiles cannot safely be operated in high winds. TBC continues to monitor Helene’s progression and is adapting to ensure blood collection despite known blood drive cancelations at high schools where students will remain at home due to inclement weather or due to the grounding of bloodmobiles for employee safety, while working hard to ensure hospital operations don’t stop. Local hospitals are stocking up ahead of the expected impacts of Helene, which makes it essential that the blood supply goes uninterrupted.

Those willing to answer the call and donate blood or platelets may do so at one of TBC’s 17 donation centers or one of their 50+ bloodmobiles as it is safe in their community. Find your nearest location to donate at thebloodconnection.org/donate.

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ROANOKE, VA (November 15, 2023) – Carilion Clinic, a not-for-profit integrated health system
headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, has partnered with The Blood Connection (TBC) for its blood
product needs. This agreement is effective Dec. 31, 2023. TBC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) community
blood center and the primary blood provider for more than 120 hospitals in Virginia, South Carolina,
North Carolina, and Georgia.

TBC plans to open donation centers locally and will serve our community though hosting mobile blood
drives. Expanding into the Roanoke community will allow TBC to increase donor collection
opportunities. With this partnership, blood donors can feel confident knowing their donations are helping
our community and neighbors.

“Carilion is excited about our new blood services partnership with The Blood Connection,” said Carilion
President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Arner. “TBC is dedicated to supplying our local blood product needs
and being involved in the community. We encourage blood donors to support TBC’s future blood drives to help
them ensure our region has adequate blood to help us care for our patients.”

“We are honored to partner with Carilion Clinic to provide these lifesaving blood products to local
patients,” said Delisa English, President and CEO of TBC. “Local blood donors make the difference in
sustaining the community blood supply and preventing blood shortages. All blood products used by
patients at Carilion will be provided exclusively by TBC. We will immediately begin efforts to collect
blood products in the community and are seeking blood donors and organizations who are willing to
support this partnership and the local blood supply by sponsoring blood drives.”

Despite national blood shortages, TBC has continuously proven to be a reliable and dedicated partner for
local hospitals – committing itself to ensuring blood products are readily available through volunteer
blood donors. TBC adheres to the same high-quality standards as Carilion and is regulated by the FDA
and Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB).
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion while only three percent of the eligible
population donates. 4.5 million Americans will be impacted by a blood donation every year. Surgery
patients, accident victims, patients with cancer and newborn babies rely on the local blood supply.
Although TBC is responsible for keeping the blood supply stable, it cannot replicate blood; it must be
donated. TBC urges the community to donate blood to ensure that hospitals needs are uninterrupted. TBC
also encourages and welcomes local schools, businesses, churches, and organizations, to be part of the
connection as a blood drive host. To learn more about hosting a blood drive, please visit thebloodconnection.org/host.

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