Officials from the French National Blood Service visited the Blood Bank of Delmarva last month and toured their facility in Newark.
The visit was part of a day long meeting between leaders of America’s Blood Centers and French officials, and Blood Bank of Delmarva was the U.S. Center the french officials toured.
Blood Bank of Delmarva President and Chief Executive Officer Roy Roper said the gathering was intended for EFS officials to tour an innovative, leading edge U.S. blood center that was also convenient to Washington, D.C.
While in the United States, French and American blood bank representatives discussed the need for greater efficiency in collecting blood, current issues regarding transfusion safety and the impact of pathogens such as Zika, Dengue and West Nile along with the development of patient blood management systems.
The French organization, also known as the Etablissement Francais du Sang, or EFS, is the only civilian blood transfusion organization in France. Blood collected by EFS is transfused to over 1 million patients a year.
The contingency visiting Delaware included EFS President Francois Toujas and American Blood Centers Chief Executive Officer Christine Zambricki.
