Allina Selects American Red Cross Blood Services

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Allina selects the American Red Cross Blood Services to provide blood and specialized laboratory services for 10 hospital

TWIN CITIES, Minn. (December 6, 2006) – Allina Hospitals & Clinics and the American Red Cross Blood Services have finalized a three-year agreement in which the Red Cross will supply blood and specialized laboratory services to Allina’s nine Minnesota hospitals and one River Falls, Wis. hospital. The alliance is among the top three largest partnerships for blood and laboratory services in the Red Cross Blood Services’ 58-year history in the Minnesota region.

The expanded partnership brings five major Twin Cities metro area hospitals to the local Red Cross Blood Services, including: Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis; Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids; St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee; Unity Hospital in Fridley; and United Hospital in St. Paul.

The Red Cross will also continue to serve Allina’s five non-metro hospitals, including: Buffalo Hospital, Cambridge Medical Center, New Ulm Medical Center, Owatonna Hospital and River Falls Area Hospital; as well as the Allina-managed Hutchinson Medical Center.

Together with Allina, the St. Paul-based Red Cross Blood Services serves 109 hospitals: 85 in Minnesota – including the Mayo System/Mayo Clinic, Fairview Health Systems/University of Minnesota Medical Center – 23 in Wisconsin and one in South Dakota.

“Allina is a leader in the healthcare community,” said Rick Panning, CEO of the local Red Cross Blood Services. “Red Cross blood donors, volunteers and more than 600 staff members are proud to team up to form an integral partnership in patient care.”

The addition of the five metro hospitals means the Red Cross will now provide approximately 35,000 red cell units, 16,000 plasma products and 4,500 platelet products annually to Allina in comparison to 10,000 red cell units, 1,600 plasma products and 125 platelet products through a previous agreement.

Red blood cell units are often transfused to patients who have chronic anemia or have lost blood due to a trauma or surgery. Platelets and plasma are given to patients when their blood does not clot properly, often due to a blood disorder, disease or chemotherapy.

Mid-America Division, North Central Region – 100 South Robert Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55107 A series of blood drives will be hosted by Allina and the Red Cross to help meet the increased need for blood. Eligible donors can call 1.800.GIVE.LIFE or visit givebloodgivelife.org to learn more about blood donation and to make a blood donation appointment. A blood donor card or driver’s license are required at check-in. Donors must be at least 17 years old and must weigh at least 110 pounds.

More than 5,000 pints of blood must be collected by the local Red Cross Blood Services every week to help patients. On average, 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood yet just 5 percent actually do. Because each pint of blood may be separated into three components – red cells, platelets and plasma – each donation can help to save up to three lives.

ABOUT ALLINA HOSPITALS & CLINICS
Allina Hospitals & Clinics is a not-for-profit health care system of hospitals, clinics and other patient care services that provides exceptional care to communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin and employs more than 22,000 people. Allina Hospitals & Clinics facilities, services and jobs can be found online at [www.allina.com](www.allina.com).

ABOUT THE RED CROSS
In addition to regional headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Mid-America Division also has regional headquarters in Omaha, Neb., Madison, Wis., and Peoria, Ill. The Division relies on the generosity of more than 800,000 volunteer blood donors, nearly 6,200 blood drive coordinators and more than 1,800 employees to collect the blood that helps save thousands of lives each year. Together the Blood Services regions supply blood products to more than 250 hospitals in 10 states and across the nation. The Mid-America Division is one of 10 Red Cross Blood Services divisions located throughout the United States. Together, these divisions collect nearly half the nation’s blood supply.

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