Blood Information

615 Pine Street * Port Huron, MI 48060

Phone: (810) 985-7117 * Fax: (810) 455-0244

Today, there are approximately 15,000 paid staff and thousands of volunteers who work for American Red Cross Biomedical Services.  Nearly six million volunteer blood donations are made to the Red Cross each year, making the Red Cross the nation's largest blood supplier.  The Red Cross also provides tissue for nearly one-fifth of all transplantation surgeries.  Additionally, the Red Cross develops, tests, and implements training programs in areas such as the operation of sophisticated blood testing laboratories and the selection of donors.

The following improvements help keep our blood supply safe:

• Newly established Quality Assurance program at all site.

• All blood testing consolidated at new state-of-the-art labs in eight sites.

• Technology-driven training institute endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Red Cross operates one of the largest, most prestigious blood research laboratories in the world, staffed by world-renowned scientists. Each year, the Red Cross oversees dozens of scientific research projects, both basic and applied, to improve the safety, purity, and efficacy of blood. In addition, the Red Cross maintains a system of national reference laboratories to help physicians resolve complex serological problems and identify rare blood. Hospital blood bank technologists call the Red Cross every day to resolve special blood typing issues so that they can safely transfuse their patients.