News and Events

Grand-Opening & Ribbon-Cutting to celebrate crucial expansion project will be held on Friday, November 19 at 11am

Newark, DE - An official Grand-Opening and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony will be held at the Blood Bank's Christiana Donor Center (100 Hygeia Drive in Newark, DE) on Friday, November 19 at 11:00am to celebrate the completion of a major, two-year expansion project. The Christiana Center has doubled in size and expanded in every area of operation to keep pace with technological advances in blood banking and the rising need for blood donations on Delmarva. In the past decade, the organization has gone from 62,207 blood donations in 1999 to 76,627 donations in 2009. Growth in automated blood cell collections and blood testing has also impacted the need for space.

"To provide enough blood for local patients, we have had to recruit many more blood donors. We must also rely on new technology for testing and processing blood. We continue to provide specialized blood services to the hospitals we serve," said Robert L. Travis, Blood Bank president and CEO. "All of this takes additional space. We outgrew the Christiana Center a long time ago, and it was crucial that we expand to accommodate the growth that we've seen so far and the many other changes and additions still to come."

The Christiana Center is one of 34 Blood Bank locations throughout Delaware, Cecil County and the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and Accomack County, Virginia. It serves as the organization's headquarters and is where 40% of all blood donations are collected on Delmarva. The Christiana Center also houses the Blood Bank's Laboratories, where blood is processed and tested for eleven infectious diseases and conditions.

Expansion Addressed Space Issues
This expansion project addressed many of the Christiana Center's space issues through renovations to 85% of the existing facility and the addition of four new sections. They include a larger Donor Room and Laboratory & Product Management wing, which provides space for additional donor chairs, equipment, and future growth. Lab technicians will now have the opportunity to conduct all blood testing in-house for the first time. The facility's new design and layout is streamlined to minimize the movement of donors throughout the donation experience and improve the flow of blood products from processing to distribution.

No Impact on Donors during Construction
The Christiana Center was open and operating throughout the 18-month expansion. Other than a few minor inconveniences during specific phases of construction, donors were not affected.

"This is one of the more complicated projects we've worked on - with so many complex phases," said Richard Aultman, Project Manager for Nowland Associates, Inc. "It was essential that all the phases were orchestrated perfectly and done quickly and efficiently without disturbing the process of collecting, testing, and distributing blood products to local hospitals. Although this presented unique challenges, the project was a success because of the solid coordination among the Blood Bank, architects, builders, subcontractors, engineers and so many others."

Construction began in the winter of 2008. The project cost about $12 million.

*Media tours will be available, as well as interview, photo, and video opportunities.*

Grand-Opening & Ribbon-Cutting to celebrate crucial expansion project will be held on Friday, November 19 at 11am

WHAT
An official Grand-Opening and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony will be held at the Blood Bank's Christiana Donor Center to celebrate the completion of a major, two-year expansion project. The Christiana Center has doubled in size and expanded in every area of operation to accommodate an increased need for blood donations on Delmarva.

WHY
This expansion became necessary to keep pace with technological advances in blood banking and the rising demand for blood needed for local patients who rely on transfusions. The Christiana Donor Center is the Blood Bank's headquarters, largest facility, and is where 40% of all blood donations are collected on Delmarva.

"To provide enough blood for local patients, we have had to recruit many more blood donors. We must also rely on new technology for testing and processing blood. We continue to provide specialized blood services to the hospitals we serve," said Robert L. Travis, Blood Bank president and CEO. "All of this takes additional space. We outgrew the Christiana Center a long time ago, and it was crucial that we expand to accommodate the growth that we've seen so far and the many other changes and additions still to come."

This expansion project addressed many of the organization's space issues through renovations to 85% of the existing facility and the addition of four new sections. That includes a larger Donor Room and Laboratory & Product Management wing, which provides space for additional donor chairs, equipment, and future growth. The design and layout have been streamlined to minimize the movement of donors throughout the donation experience and improve the flow of blood products from processing to distribution.

WHEN & WHERE
Friday, November 19 at 11:00am
100 Hygeia Drive in Newark, DE

*NOTE TO MEDIA: Tours, interviews, and photo/video opportunities available.*

1000 blood donors expected at 9th annual CAA Blood Challenge November 17

Newark, DE - With a goal of recruiting 1000 blood donors in one day, the University of Delaware is hoping to land its fifth win in the 9th Annual CAA Blood Challenge on Wednesday, November 17 from 7:30am to 8:00pm. UD will hold the all-day blood drive in the Trabant University Center's multipurpose rooms at 17 West Main Street in Newark.

The Challenge pits the University of Delaware against eleven other schools in the Colonial Athletic Association. It requires each college or university to pick one day during the fall to conduct a campus-wide blood drive. The school with the most blood donations wins. Last year, UD recruited 900 blood donors.

"If you ask me, this is one of the most inspirational events of the year. For more than 12 hours, hundreds of students pour into University of Delaware's Trabant Center to selflessly give of themselves and save lives," said Bob Travis, Blood Bank president and CEO. "It makes me proud to be a part of this community."

All Blood Bank of Delmarva donor centers are closed during the CAA Blood Challenge and most employees work at the event in some capacity.

The competition was initiated in 2002 by the University of Delaware. UD won the first four years of the Challenge but was narrowly defeated by Drexel University for the last four. The other competing schools include: College of William and Mary, Hofstra University, Drexel University, George Mason University, Towson University, Northeastern University, Georgia State University, James Madison University, Old Dominion University, UNC Wilmington, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Over the past eight years, the CAA Blood Challenge has resulted in a total of 22,101 units of blood for the schools' local communities.

***Photo, video, and interview opportunities are available for media.***

Newark, DE - Blood Bank of Delmarva President and CEO Robert L. Travis has announced that he will retire effective January 14, 2011. Mr. Travis has served as President and CEO since 1994, maintaining the program's outstanding record for safety and no blood shortages during a period of extraordinary growth in the need for blood at area hospitals.

Mr. Travis joined the Blood Bank of Delaware in May 1977 as Technical Director. At that time, the Blood Bank recruited people into its blood assurance plan and scheduled them to give blood at hospitals throughout Delaware. Travis was hired after a nationwide search, specifically to provide the technical expertise for the Blood Bank to become licensed to collect, test and provide blood and blood products to area hospitals. That was accomplished later that year, and the organization became a full-service blood bank providing blood rather than donors to the hospitals.

Mr. Travis was named Assistant Executive Director in 1980, Executive Vice President in 1990 and President and CEO in 1994. His strong leadership helped solidify the organization's profile and reputation both locally and nationally. Since his arrival in 1977, the Blood Bank has expanded from an organization scheduling fewer than 25,000 blood donors a year at hospitals to collecting more than 80,000 blood donations at 34 locations and providing tested blood to hospitals throughout Delmarva.

"Increased blood usage, the remarkable expansion of testing to increase safety, and innovations in blood collection technology have all had a great impact on our organization and other blood centers while I've been president," said Travis. "It has been such a rewarding experience to lead Blood Bank of Delmarva through these changes and help maintain its status as a world class organization. I'm incredibly proud of the board, our staff, volunteers and blood donors who have made it possible."

Mr. Travis has an extensive background in the clinical laboratory and blood banking fields. He has served on the boards of AABB, which sets the standards for blood banks worldwide, Blood Centers Exchange (BCx) Risk Retention Group, and America's Blood Centers. He was named the AABB Outstanding Administrator in 2003.

ROY ROPER SELECTED TO SUCCEED BOB TRAVIS AS PRESIDENT & CEO

Blood Bank of Delmarva's Executive Board of Directors has selected Roy Roper to succeed Robert L. Travis as President and CEO effective January 14, 2011. Roper was hired in December 2009 as Vice President of Administrative Services. He immediately became a positive presence and valuable contributor to daily operations and has been leading the Blood Bank's recently completed strategic planning effort.

Mr. Roper holds a Masters degree in Organization Development from American University. In addition to prior management and leadership positions with Cigna, United Healthcare and AstraZeneca, he has extensive management consulting experience, which has already proved invaluable to the Blood Bank. Mr. Roper's business expertise and leadership experience is expected to serve the organization well as it moves forward.

"I am very excited about this new opportunity," said Roper. "I feel very privileged to be part of an organization like Blood Bank of Delmarva with its great history and tradition. I look forward to working with our talented staff, the board and community to continue our legacy of success."

Mr. Roper and his wife, Mary, live in Wilmington, Delaware.

Newark, DE - As part of a personal mission to donate platelets in every state, 73-year-old Al Whitney, a retired factory worker from Avon Lake, Ohio, will be donating platelets at Blood Bank of Delmarva's Christiana Center in Newark on Thursday, November 4 at 9am. Delaware will be the 40th state that Mr. Whitney visits in his cross-country quest to raise awareness for platelet and whole blood donation.

"Giving blood is easy and rewarding, and I want to demonstrate that to as many people as I can," said Mr. Whitney. "That's been my inspiration for this mission."

Mr. Whitney donated his first pint of blood in 1965. He has donated over five gallons of whole blood and has made more than 660 platelet donations over the years. In addition to his lifesaving contributions, Mr. Whitney has worked with his community blood center for more than three decades organizing blood drives and recruiting donors.

Platelets, an important component of blood, have a shelf life of just five days. They are vitally needed for cancer and leukemia patients who undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy. A platelet donation, called plateletpheresis, provides about 10 times more platelets than a regular blood donation. Platelet donors can relax, read a book or watch TV as an automated machine quietly spins to separate and collect the platelets and return the other blood components. The painless process takes around 90 minutes.

Mr. Whitney started his nationwide platelet-donation mission in August of 2007. He has already made donation "pit stops" in Maryland and Virginia in 2008.