BLOOD DONATIONS IN WILMINGTON INCREASE BY 10% IN 2009
Wilmington, DE - Just one year after Blood Bank of Delmarva opened its new Wilmington Donor Center, the organization has been able to increase downtown blood donations by 10%.
The Blood Bank moved from the ninth floor of the 913 North Market Street building in January of 2009 to a street-front location on the first floor of the same building. In the year since the new center officially opened its doors, there have been 4911 blood donations - about 10% more than the year before.
"This is a significant jump in donations and we are really encouraged," said Bob Travis, President and CEO of Blood Bank of Delmarva. "Not even two years ago, we were strongly considering a permanent closure of the Wilmington Center. However, city leaders urged us to stay and move into a more visible space. So far, it seems to be working and we are optimistic that the increase in donations will continue."
The Blood Bank plans to continue reaching out to downtown businesses and organizations to help spread word-of-mouth about the center and boost donation schedules.
The Wilmington Donor Center first opened in 1984, and for about 15 years, the facility consistently had about 8,000 blood donations a year. But for the past decade, there has only been about half of that volume.
About the Wilmington Donor Center
The Wilmington center is open every day - Monday to Friday - and has alternating morning and afternoon/evening hours. Wilmington Center donors enjoy some "perks" not offered at other Blood Bank locations. It has free WiFi, a gourmet coffee bar, and validated parking for blood donors (a new parking garage is located directly across the street on Shipley Street). Blood Bank of Delmarva has 3 other permanent donor centers (Newark and Dover, DE and Salisbury, MD) and 29 established mobile locations throughout Delmarva.
