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HEALTH CARE: Blood bank sees troublesome drop in demand

HEALTH CARE TURMOIL, LOSS OF DOCTORS TO BLAME; FEWER DONORS ALSO CHALLENGE

Blood banks are perhaps best known for their regular appeals for blood donations. But in the chaotic atmosphere of health care today, Blood Bank of the Redwoods in Santa Rosa has experienced something else entirely: a significant drop in the demand for its blood products that has impacted the organization’s revenues.

A stable, local source of blood is widely considered a critical part of a region’s health care services. But since Sutter Health announced last year that is would suspend acute-care hospital services, a decision it recently reversed, “the health care environment has been somewhat chaotic,” said Blood Bank of the Redwoods spokesman Kent Corley. “Doctors have been leaving the area, patients have been leaving the area and the result is less of a demand for blood.”

Sutter spokeswoman Lisa Amador said the hospital’s usage has decreased by approximately 21 percent between 2005 and 2007.

Behind the exodus of doctors and difficulty attracting new physicians is the fact that Sonoma and other Northern California counties are qualified as rural areas and receive Medicare reimbursements at a rate 10 percent to 15 percent less than counties considered urban.

Mr. Corley said the systemic- and physician-driven declines forced the nonprofit to eliminate five positions last fall and also to reduce total staff hours. At the beginning of the fiscal year last July, the demand for red blood cells went down about 20 percent to 25 percent and platelets use was down 34 percent. “When one heart surgeon leaves, they bring the whole team with him or her, and even that one doctor can severely affect our demand. They are the number one user of blood up here,” he said.

Demand hit bottom last summer and has increased slightly during the past months, but it is still well below previous demand. Officials are not sure what to expect this summer when demand normally dips in a regular year. Currently, red blood cell use is still about 5 percent below normal levels and platelets are now about 10 percent to 12 percent behind.

Mr. Corley said the bank, which opened in 1949, is surviving the changes by conducting more fundraising.

“Generally we have been able to grow organically, but fundraising has had an increasingly important role since 2002,” Mr. Corley said.

Declining revenues are never good news, but looking at the bright side, Mr. Corley said the group has been able to comfortably keep up with the demand. A consistent stream of donors is always needed in any environment to replace the products with limited shelf life, but the bank has not needed to bring in supplies from surrounding areas.

Also, despite a chaotic year and uncertain summer, other changes in the region have caused officials to project a more positive outlook as the year progresses.

About two weeks ago, Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa announced plans to keep acute-care services in the county, which could cause a rebound in blood demand as more procedures occur at Sutter.

“There hasn’t been enough time to say anything definite, but going forward it should stabilize the usage back to normal levels,” Mr. Corley said.

Also, in the coming weeks, Santa Rosa Memorial hospital will open the doors to its greatly expanded, $38 million Norma and Evert Person Heart Institute. The current facility performs an average of about 15,000 heart procedures a year, but officials expect to attract new business when the state of the art services are available in mid-summer.

Though the hospital demand has fluctuated, donations are needed to keep supplies from expiring. Red blood cells last an average of 42 days, but platelets, which are used for cancer patients, last only five days.

The most recent national numbers estimate that approximately 37 percent of Americans are eligible for donations, compared with previous generations when about 60 percent of the population was considered eligible. But as people age and have more health complications, it becomes less likely they will be able to donate.

Increasingly stiff government regulations have been the most recent cause for the dwindling pool, which is causing blood banks to look for other places to find donors.

A significant exclusionary factor could also affect a large number of business donors. The FDA mandates that anyone who spent more than three months cumulatively in the United Kingdom between 1989 and 1996 cannot donate blood for their entire lifetime.

So for frequent business travelers, even if the visits were days at a time, the new exceptions could preclude them from donating. The American Red Cross estimated the rule will decrease the pool by about 2.2 percent.

For the first time this year, Blood Bank of the Redwoods is waiving the wait period for those who recently received a tattoo or piercing, as long as the artist works in a certified Sonoma County shop. Also, about 20 states so far have lowered the age limit to 16.

The Blood Bank of the Redwoods donor facility is located at 2324 Bethards Dr., Santa Rosa and is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Saturday.

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Submit items for this column to D. Ashley Verrill at 707-579-2900 ext. 215, averrill@busjrnl.com or fax 707-579-8475.