Published by Kirby Winn on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 in News Releases
ImpactLife held a ribbon-cutting and open house with the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the blood center’s 50th Anniversary on Tuesday, November 19. The event at the blood center's headquarters featured remarks from ImpactLife CEO Mike Parejko, Board Chair Nathan Sondgeroth, and Jessica McKearney, the mother of Hudson McKearney, who received multiple blood transfusions during his treatment for cancer. Hudson is now cancer free, and the McKearney family sponsors blood drives through the Hudson Strong Foundation in Eldridge.
ImpactLife was established in 1974 through the merger of the Scott County (Iowa) and Rock Island County (Illinois) blood banks. Originally named Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, the nonprofit blood provider changed its name to ImpactLife in 2021, reflecting the organization’s growth beyond the region of the Mississippi River valley. Today, ImpactLife provides blood to more than 120 hospitals and emergency medical service providers located in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and to researchers and resource sharing partners across the United States.
ImpactLife is one of a handful of blood providers across the U.S. that have helped develop and introduce the concept of Mixed Reality in blood donation (see www.bloodcenter.org/mixedreality). It’s part of a long-term trend of innovation and technological advances for the blood center. According to Becky Parker, a longtime member of the ImpactLife Donor Services team in Burlington, Iowa, some of the biggest changes have been:
Digital record-keeping instead of dot-matrix printers. When Parker first started working for what was then called Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, staff members would bring a dot matrix printer to every blood drive. “We used pre-printed forms that had to be loaded just exactly right so information would print in the right boxes on the form,” says Parker. Finding forms were misaligned and incorrectly printed was a frequent source of frustration, Parker says.
![blood bag mixer]()
Automated bag rockers instead of tip scales for collection bags. “Back when dinosaurs walked” collection specialists would use tip scales to measure the volume of blood collected with each donation and would need to manually mix anti-coagulant during the donation process. Today, automated rockers (right) mix anti-coagulant and weigh each donation.
Electronic Donor History Questionnaire instead of verbal. Before the pre-donation Donor History Questionnaire moved to touch screen computers, staff members would ask all questions in-person. “We read those questions so many times we could recite them all, word for word,” says Parker. Today, donors complete the questionnaire on a touch screen computer and review any follow-up questions with staff. Donors can also use EarlyQ to complete the questionnaire on any computer on the same day they will donate, and then receive a code for staff to scan when they arrive at the Donor Center or mobile blood drive.
Within this fast-paced environment of change, the opportunity for blood donors to help patients in need remains the same. “Blood transfusions provided by volunteer donors are used in settings from the emergency room to oncology, obstetrics, general surgery, and more.” said Amanda Hess, Vice President, Donor Relations and Marketing. “We are so grateful to the donors, blood drive coordinators, and other volunteers who support our mission.”
ADVANCING MEDICINE
Looking ahead to the next 50 years, ImpactLife is working on several fronts to embrace innovation and continue to help advance medicine. As an example, ImpactLife recently announced a partnership in the premarket development stages for frontline On Demand plasma (or lyophilized plasma) to be used in the pre-hospital setting, making it possible for emergency medical services to deliver a transfusion at the scene of injury (see www.bloodcenter.org/velico). In addition to this leading edge work, the blood center is investing in the cellular therapy space with the goal of not just treating disease states but also hopefully someday preventing and curing diseases.
“The size and scope of our blood center and even our name has changed, but our appreciation for our donors, our sponsor groups, hospital partners, volunteers and especially our ImpactLife team remains as strong as ever,” said Mike Parejko, Chief Executive Officer. “I’m immensely proud to be a part of this great organization and have the privilege to work with such a talented group of people that add up to the best team in our industry.”
CURRENT BLOOD SUPPLY AND NEED FOR DONORS
With the week of Thanksgiving just ahead, ImpactLife is looking to boost its appointment schedules and improve blood inventories for the week of the holiday. All donors give blood in the month of November will be eligible to receive their choice of an electronic gift card, donation to regional food banks in our service region (Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin) OR bonus points.
Gift value depends on donation type and location.
Give at a DONOR CENTER
- WHOLE BLOOD - $20 gift card or $20 donation OR 1,000 points
- DOUBLE REDS - $25 gift card or $25 donation OR 1,500 points
- 3+ TIME PLATELETS - $25 gift card OR $25 donation or 1,500 points
- 1st & 2nd TIME PLATELETS - $50 gift card OR $50 donation OR 3,000 points
HOLIDAY BONUS: Donors who give Monday November 25 – Sunday, December 1, 2024 at CENTERS ONLY will receive +$20 (or +1000 points) to the value of their selected gift.
Give at a MOBILE BLOOD DRIVE
- WHOLE BLOOD - $10 gift card or $10 donation OR 500 points
- DOUBLE REDS - $25 gift card or $25 donation OR 1,500 points
- 3+ TIME PLATELETS - $25 gift card OR $25 donation or 1,500 points
- 1st & 2nd TIME PLATELETS - $50 gift card OR $50 donation OR 3,000 points
ABOUT IMPACTLIFE
ImpactLife's mission is to save lives by engaging donors, supporting partners, and advancing medicine. Founded in 1974, ImpactLife supplies blood products and services to hundreds of hospitals, emergency services organizations, clinical researchers, and other blood centers throughout Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri. The nonprofit blood provider is ranked among the leading 12 blood suppliers in the United States. For more information on current blood inventory levels, our donor promotions, and more, see www.bloodcenter.org and find us @impactlifeblood on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
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