News Release August 29, 2005

Bonfils Blood Center’s Assists Hurricane Victims; Needs More Blood Donors

For more information contact:
Julie Wedding 303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

DENVER (August 29, 2005) - Bonfils Blood Center was asked today to provide immediate support to victims of hurricane Katrina. Bonfils will send blood to The Blood Center of the greater New Orleans area, who is responsible for supporting 45 hospitals in the region. The path of the hurricane mirrors that of the blood center’s service area. Bonfils was tapped as the primary provider to support the community’s ongoing needs. All 17 of The Blood Center’s donor centers are incapacitated and will not reopen for at least 10 days which means no blood will be collected.

“We are fortunate to be part of a community whose generosity and support allows us to be in the position to help others when it's needed the most,” said Jessica Maitland, senior vice president of Bonfils Blood Center. “However, because we are approaching Labor Day weekend, we need even more donors to make an appointment to donate blood to help the hurricane victims and patients within our community.”

Bonfils Blood Center and The Blood Center forged a relationship just over two years ago when Bonfils’ subsidiary Hemo-Net began supporting and protecting The Blood Center’s computer systems and software applications by hosting data in two off-site locations.

“Because of our partnerships with Bonfils and Hemo-Net we have blood available for patients in need and we know our donors’ personal information is secure.” said Brian Gannon, CEO of The Blood Center. “I can’t begin to thank the Colorado community enough for supporting the people of New Orleans through this trying time.”

Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood to more than 115 healthcare facilities and needs to collect 4,350 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about scheduling a blood donation, please visit www.bonfils.org or call (303) 363-2300.