- Membership in the AABB’s advocacy effort helps address blood supply shortage in the U.S.
- Initiative builds on QuidelOrtho’s existing educational offerings for laboratory clinicians and healthcare professionals in the transfusion medicine community
SAN DIEGO, CA — QuidelOrtho Corporation (NASDAQ: QDEL) (“QuidelOrtho” or the “Company”), a global provider of innovative in vitro diagnostics technologies designed for point-of-care settings, clinical labs and transfusion medicine, announced today that it is joining the Alliance for a Strong Blood Supply (the “Alliance”). The Alliance is a coalition founded by the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (“AABB”) that includes a group of partner organizations committed to ensuring sufficient blood is available for all patients during the pandemic and beyond.
Regions throughout the United States are currently facing significant blood supply challenges, with many blood collectors operating with less than a one-day supply on hand. Many hospitals have been forced to delay life-saving blood transfusions. The Alliance facilitates communications between member organizations, serves as a platform for member organizations to mobilize their networks, and acts as a forum for members to educate one another on challenges and opportunities to strengthen the national blood supply.
“We are honored to join the Alliance and work with its member organizations to identify actionable, near-term solutions to our nation’s increasingly dangerous blood supply shortage,” said Douglas Bryant, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of QuidelOrtho. “As a global leader in performing blood typing and blood screening, we acutely understand the critical need for safe and abundant blood to meet the needs of our hospital and laboratory partners and the patients we ultimately serve.”
“Hospital and laboratories continue to face many workflow challenges including increased demands, budget constraints and staffing shortages. We take pride in providing our hospital and laboratory partners with the tools they need to mitigate the challenges, and still verify blood safety with confidence, ahead of patient transfusions,” said Andrew Corkum, QuidelOrtho’s Vice President, Transfusion Medicine. “Our services hinge on having access to a sufficient supply of blood, and we are committed to working with our Alliance partners to solve this problem.”
The Alliance currently includes 25 organizations that collectively represent the nation’s hospitals and blood collectors, as well as more than 200,000 physicians who routinely provide blood to patients in need. In addition to QuidelOrtho, current members include: AABB, America’s Blood Centers, Alliance for Community Transfusion Services, American Red Cross, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Society for Clinical Pathology, American Society for Apheresis, American Society of Hematology, American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Blood Centers of America, Blood Centers of California, College of American Pathologists, Cerus, Fresenius Kabi, Lifesouth Community Blood Centers, Macopharma, MediOps, Miller-Keystone Blood Center, Oklahoma Blood Institute, Terumo, UChicago Medicine and University Blood Initiative.
In addition to joining the Alliance, QuidelOrtho is committed to the development and implementation of continuing education in transfusion medicine for its international audience, providing science and educational offerings at the global and regional levels. Recent educational programs conducted by the Ortho Clinical Diagnostics business included more than 20 webinars each year for laboratory clinicians and healthcare professionals in the transfusion medicine community, a monthly podcast and periodic white papers on topics of interest and areas of change in the industry.
AABB is continuing to expand the Alliance to include patient organizations, public health groups, industry and other organizations committed to strengthening the blood supply, as well as the broader public health infrastructure. To find more information, additional resources, and materials regarding the Alliance, please visit https://www.aabb.org/get-involved/alliance-for-a-strong-blood-supply
About QuidelOrtho Corporation
QuidelOrtho Corporation (Nasdaq: QDEL) unites the power of Quidel Corporation and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics behind a shared mission of developing and manufacturing innovative technologies that raise the performance of diagnostic testing and create better patient outcomes across the entire healthcare continuum.
Ranked among the world’s largest in vitro diagnostics (IVD) providers with more than 120 years of collective experience, we combine industry-leading expertise in immunoassay and molecular testing with a global footprint in clinical labs and transfusion medicine.
Our company’s comprehensive product portfolio delivers accuracy, speed, automation and access, providing critical information when and where it is needed most. Inspired by a spirit of service, the QuidelOrtho family is committed to enhancing the well-being of people worldwide and happy in the knowledge we are making a difference. For more information, please visit www.quidelortho.com.
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