STBTC, Methodist announce tissue partnership

Methodist receives ‘Ruby Award’

SAN ANTONIO (October 3, 2007) — Today, the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) and Methodist Healthcare System announced a new tissue services partnership, in which STBTC will procure tissue from Methodist hospitals to be used in a variety of procedures, such as skin grafts, cardiac and orthopedic surgery. This new partnership involves Methodist in all services offered by STBTC, including tissue, blood, cord blood and bone marrow collection.

“We are excited that Methodist has joined the tissue services program to become an even bigger participant in the community center’s programs,” said Dr. Norman D. Kalmin, President/CEO and Medical Director of the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center. “Methodist has always been a strong partner for our blood collection program, and it became the first local hospital to begin umbilical cord blood collections as the pilot site for the Texas Cord Blood Bank in 2005.”

Kalmin noted that during the past five years, STBTC provided more than 15,000 tissue components to patients across South Texas, with more than 62 percent distributed in San Antonio. STBTC is also the only American Association of Tissue Banks accredited full-service tissue program in Texas.

“We have a responsibility to keep up with the growth of our community and continue to offer the highest quality healthcare in the region,” said Jaime Wesolowski, President/CEO of Methodist Healthcare System. “This new partnership will give families an opportunity to turn the heartbreaking loss of a loved one into the gift of life.”

On behalf of the Center, Kalmin presented the ‘Ruby Award’ to Wesolowski in honor of Methodist Healthcare System’s commitment to bringing together donors and recipients of blood, tissue, cord blood and bone marrow to ‘Connect for Life’.

In addition, the STBTC Foundation Board recognized Methodist Healthcare Ministries for its support of the Texas Cord Blood Bank (TCBB). Since Methodist’s first cord blood collection in June of 2005, TCBB successfully banked more than 2,000 units of cord blood through hospital partnerships across the state, and 1,450 of those have been collected from Methodist Hospital.

“Methodist Healthcare Ministries was the earliest supporter of the Texas Cord Blood Bank program, providing us with a $500,000 grant, which went toward a matching grant by the State of Texas” said Mary Beth Fisk, STBTC Vice President of Development & Tissue Services. “Its pioneering support has been instrumental in the program’s development as the bank has come full circle. Since the beginning of 2007, five patients have received cord blood units and are at various stages of engraftment and recovery.”

Kevin Moriarty, President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries, accepted the recognition in honor of his organization’s continued support of the Texas Cord Blood Bank program.

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