News Release July 31, 2006

Bonfils Implements New Donor Registration Process

For more information contact:
Julie Scott 303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

DENVER (July 31, 2006) - Bonfils has taken steps to minimize the risk of identity theft to its donors by discontinuing the use of the complete Social Security Number (SSN) when registering to donate blood. Instead, beginning today, donors will be registered using a combination of numbers that include their date of birth along with the last four digits of their SSN. Additionally, all SSNs have been purged from Bonfils’ donor database and replaced with the aforementioned series of numbers.

In 2005, Bonfils Blood Center began to provide donor identification cards for its donors as a way to help secure their personal information. Following a donor’s first donation with Bonfils, he or she receives a personalized ID card, which includes the donor’s name, donor identification number, blood type and a barcode that interfaces with Bonfils’ donor tracking system. Although first-time donors will be required to provide their date of birth and the last four digits of their SSN, repeat donors simply need to present their donor ID card at when registering for donation.

Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood to more than 200 hospitals and 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 or (800) 365-0006.