Staff Report
Published July 3, 2012

The Blood Connection of Greenville recently expanded its services into the North Carolina market with three new hospital partners in Henderson and Polk counties.

It will serve as the primary blood supplier to Pardee Hospital and Park Ridge Health in Hendersonville, N.C., as well as St. Luke’s Hospital in Columbus, N.C.

The Blood Connection CEO Greg Hart said the partnerships will give more patients access to vital blood products.

“The Blood Connection is known for its state-of-the-art blood center and high standard of quality and service,” Park Ridge CEO Jimm Bunch said. “Our new partner will provide us with fast and effective in-house testing, as well as the ability to quickly solve issues with blood compatibility.”

In recent years, The Blood Connection has grown to serve the needs of a larger community and has steadily increased its ability to collect, process, test and distribute blood components. Two years ago, the company expanded into Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties.

“We are pleased to join a growing list of hospitals that depend on The Blood Connection,” St. Luke’s CEO Ken Shull said. “We have already benefited from the company’s strong inventory management system as we’ve matched particular patient needs.”

Founded in 1979, The Blood Connection is an independently managed nonprofit community blood center in the region. It recruits donors and collects blood within a 6,570 square mile area including northwestern South Carolina, western North Carolina and northeastern Georgia.

South Carolina counties include: Greenville, Spartanburg, Union, Cherokee, Pickens, Oconee, Greenwood, McCormick, Laurens and Newberry. The Blood Connection also collects blood in Stephens County, Ga., as well as Polk and Henderson counties in North Carolina.