CBC/CTS Celebrates the Completion of its Expansion Project

DAYTON, OH — (October 10, 2006) Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services™ (CBC/CTS) will hold a formal open house on Thursday, October 12, from 4 – 7 p.m., in honor of the completion of the expansion and renovation project of its main downtown Dayton Campus.

According to Judith E. Woll, MD, CEO of Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services™, “the expansion and renovation project has allowed CBC/CTS to increase its capacity to meet the growing demand for blood products and tissue grafts.  The demand for blood and tissue is increasing annually due to medical advances, new technology and the aging of our population.”

The $7 million project was funded with a $2 million bond issuance, operating reserves and $2.6 million from the Giving for Life Capital Campaign.  Generous contributors to the capital campaign include The Kettering Fund, The Wallace Foundation, Premier Health Partners – Miami Valley Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital, The Kettering Health Network, The City of Dayton, Dr. Daniel and Barbara Hood, Dr. James and Peggy Lehner, the late Mrs. Anne Greene, The Antioch Company, Bank One, The Iddings Foundation, The Levin Foundation and many other caring individuals, corporations and foundations.

The four year project has increased CBC/CTS’ square footage from 64,000 to 110,000 square feet.  Highlights from the expansion and renovation project include the following:

• Increased the tissue processing capacity (the process which makes tissue grafts for surgical transplantation) by more than 40% with four additional tissue processing “clean” rooms, including a room devoted entirely to skin processing.  CTS is the largest not-for-profit provider of skin grafts for burn victims in the United States.
• Added space and equipment for blood and tissue testing and processing to enhance the use of technology and reduce testing turnaround time. 
• Created a single donor room to accommodate both blood and automated collections.  The donor room has 21 chairs to better meet the increased demand for blood and platelets and to efficiently utilize the CBC staff. 
• Provided two large training/conference rooms to accommodate CBC/CTS growing staff, which is currently at 417.
• Updated and expanded the Donor Testing, Microbiology, Reference and HLA Labs.

Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services™, an independent, not-for-profit organization, is ISO 9001:2000 Registered.  Community Blood Center is the sole provider of blood components to the twenty-five hospitals in its fifteen county service area. Community Tissue Services™ serves the public through recovery, processing and distribution of human tissue donations used for transplantation. Community Tissue Services™ is composed of eight regional offices and three satellite offices:  Dayton, Ohio (Corporate Office); Fort Worth, Texas; Fresno, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Memphis, Tennessee; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; and Toledo, Ohio.  Satellite locations:  Boise, Idaho, Connersville, Indiana, and Medford, Oregon. 

For more information about Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services™, please visit www.cbccts.org.

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