The Impact of Accreditation at Blood Establishments Worldwide Blood centers around the world have their unique way of doing certain things. A few years ago, Roman residents who donated blood received a voucher valid for two free tickets to one of the city’s many museums as an incentive to donate. This year in Colombia, the Red Cross in Cali set a goal to collect 1,000 blood units through a campaign called “Give Blood for Life.” But many blood centers across the globe do share one important thing in common: the same set of high standards. Partly because of these standards — which help ensure the quality and safety of blood products — the vast majority of the millions of blood units donated yearly in the U.S. and other countries are considered safe and readily available to help those in need. Centers in four countries — Italy, Colombia, Brazil and Israel — agreed to share their work and experiences with AABB standards and accreditation.

AABB is an international association representing individuals and institutions involved in activities related to transfusion and cellular therapies, including transplantation medicine. Attend this year’s AABB Annual Meeting & TXPO 2009 held in New Orleans, USA and learn the latest in blood banking, transfusion medicine and cellular and related biological therapies, advance your career, explore state-of-the-art products and services and network with colleagues.