Consolidated blood bank set for debut
The adult and pediatric blood banks will move to a new consolidated location this weekend.
The new blood bank will serve the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt University Hospital, including the new Critical Care Tower addition set to open in November.
Both will be housed in room 4650 in The Vanderbilt Clinic.
The adult blood bank will open at 3 p.m. on Sept. 12, and the pediatric blood bank will open at 9 a.m. on Sept. 13. During the move, there will be no interruption in service.
“We worked out the model for the transition very carefully,” said Pampee Young, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of transfusion services.
“There will be an overlap in the old and new blood banks. Phones will ring in both, and we will stock blood in both. We also scheduled the move on the weekend to take advantage of the lower volume.”
Blood bank telephone numbers will not change. The adult blood bank can be reached at 322-2233, and the pediatric blood bank can be reached at 322-9443.
Young said linking the blood banks enables much greater efficiency.
“We are able to have the appropriate number of staff there to be able to serve both hospitals at all times. Previously, we only staffed the pediatric blood bank with one person on evenings and weekends. If it got busy or that person needed a break, it was very difficult to cover.
“In the new space, we are able to cover both hospitals regardless of what need may arise,” she said.
The new blood bank is also more automated with faster and more efficient machines, and the pneumatic tube system has been optimized.
The layout of the space is more amenable to work flow, and there is now a designated teaching room.
“We're very excited about the move. It's a beautiful space with state of the art equipment,” Young said.
For more information, contact Eileen Ricker at 343-9119 or Stephanie Sephel at 343-9120.