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Texas Cord Blood Bank Announces Newest San Antonio Collection Site SAN ANTONIO (March 19, 2007) – On Monday, March 19, North Central Baptist Hospital becomes the Texas Cord Blood Bank’s second donor site in San Antonio – and the fifth in the state. Hospital and cord blood bank representatives will make an official announcement during a reception at North Central Baptist at 3 p.m. With the announcement of the Cord Blood program, Baptist Health System is the first hospital in the region to utilize all services of the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, and officials from the Center will present the first-ever “Ruby Award” to commemorate the partnership and honor Baptist Health System for its many years of collaboration and support. “Our Baptist Health System’s mission is to provide healing, teaching and spiritual support to alleviate human illness and suffering, and the Texas Cord Blood Bank is a true embodiment of these principles and a wonderful addition to North Central Baptist’s new Women’s Services Center,” said Trip Pilgrim, president and CEO of Baptist Health System. “We are delighted the Blood & Tissue Center is presenting us with the Ruby Award, and we look forward to continued collaboration with the Center to ensure our community receives the best possible medical care.” The Texas Cord Blood Bank is a non-profit program established by the Texas legislature in 2001 to collect umbilical cord blood that can benefit patients suffering from a number of potentially fatal diseases. Since the program began collecting in 2005, more than 5,000 donations have been collected. Umbilical cord blood, which is normally discarded after the birth of a baby, is rich in blood-making cells that can be used as an alternative to bone marrow transplants to treat cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, disorders of the blood-making system such as sickle-cell anemia and severe immune-system disorders. "It is encouraging to see the Texas Cord Blood Bank expanding as another hospital in San Antonio joins this program,” Gov. Rick Perry said. “Cord blood treatment and research respects human life and holds great promise in overcoming the many diseases mankind has struggled with for centuries. I encourage prospective parents to talk to their doctors about donating cord blood. As they prepare to welcome new life into their families, new mothers have the opportunity to also give life to new hope to fellow Texans through this incredible effort.” There is no cost to parents associated with donating, and the cord blood will help build a state-wide cord blood bank that captures the vast ethnic diversity of Texans, as ethnicity plays a key role in finding a suitable genetic match for patients. “We are very excited North Central Baptist has joined the program,” said Dr. Norman D. Kalmin, president/CEO and medical director of the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center. “While we continue to look for opportunities to expand across the state, we are pleased to offer now two locations in San Antonio for expectant mothers to donate their babies cord blood. San Antonio is a city with many generous and caring citizens who have been asking for more opportunities to donate, and we are glad to expand the program.” The Texas Cord Blood Bank’s first collections began in June 2005 at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, and new collection centers have been opened at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen, Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville, and Medical City Dallas as part of the statewide effort to build a cord blood bank that captures the diversity of all Texans. Becoming a member hospital takes time, as participation in the cord blood program requires adherence to extreme regulatory oversight and intense training by doctors and nursing staff to ensure the Texas Cord Blood Bank provides a safe, effective source of cord blood. “Of the approximately 2,000 deliveries we perform each year, we look forward to informing all of our expectant mothers of this opportunity and anticipate many new moms will be eager to participate in the program and potentially save the life of another child through their donation,” said Jack Cleary, president of North Central Baptist. "More than 8,000 people in the world have received cord bloodtransplants, and I am very excited to see this program continue its expansion and provide even greater opportunity for patients in need to find a match," said Elizabeth Ames Jones, Chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas. "Those of us who have seen the program grow from its infancy into a statewide resource are truly delighted at its progress." Kalmin added that Baptist Health System’s support of the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center for more than 30 years has been instrumental in the growth of the Center, and “we are delighted to present the Ruby Award to Mr. Pilgrim for the many collaborations through the years, as well as the latest partnership with the Texas Cord Blood Bank.” Cord Blood Collection Process Nurses, physicians and other North Central Baptist staff have undergone extensive training in preparation for collections that began in March 2007. Labor and delivery nurses share responsibility for the collection of cord blood donations. Women delivering at North Central Baptist can opt to complete a brief screening questionnaire similar to one necessary when donating blood. For those who are eligible to donate, the delivery proceeds normally with the physician simply draining cord blood from the umbilical cord and placenta shortly after the baby is delivered. Physicians traditionally collect cord blood samples in order for the hospital to determine blood type and run basic tests before discarding the umbilical cord and placenta. Collections are sent with a complete nine-page maternal history to the Texas Cord Blood Bank in San Antonio where the blood is processed and tested within hours of arrival. Once the donated unit passes all quality criteria, it is then stored and made available for search by transplant centers. The Texas Cord Blood Bank distributes a unit as a match is found for a patient in need. About the Texas Cord Blood Bank Specially approved by the Texas legislature and unique in the State, the Texas Cord Blood Bank is a source of ethnically diverse, life-saving umbilical cord blood. Cord blood, donated following the birth of a healthy baby, is rich in blood-making cells which can be used, like bone marrow transplants, to treat children and adults with certain cancers and otherwise fatal blood disorders. With more than 35,000 people currently waiting for a transplant to be found, donor families across Texas have turned the birth of one child – their child – into infinite possibilities for patients around the world. About North Central Baptist and Baptist Health System Baptist Health System is a leading provider of health care in San Antonio and South Texas. Baptist Health System includes five acute-care hospitals (Baptist Medical Center, North Central Baptist Hospital, Northeast Baptist Hospital, Southeast Baptist Hospital and St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital) which offer 1,558 licensed beds. The system also includes Baptist Regional Children’s Center, Baptist Women’s Health Center, HealthLink wellness and fitness center, Baptist M&S Imaging Centers, community health and wellness programs, ambulatory services, rehabilitation services, medical office buildings, San Antonio AirLife air medical transport, a teaching center (School of Health Professions), and other health-related services and affiliations
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6211 IH 10 West San Antonio, Texas 78201