The Community Blood Council of New Jersey, Inc. (CCBC-NJ) provides the safest blood products and related services to hospitals in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Each employee's contribution toward the improvement of our services is highly valued.

Description:
CBC-NJ is a not-for-profit community blood center located in Ewing, NJ, a suburb of Trenton.

To serve our area's hospitals, we conduct blood drives throughout central, western and southern New Jersey, and in eastern Pennsylvania. Many of our drives are held in conjunction with places of business, schools, houses of worship, and social and civic organizations.

At our blood center we collect whole blood, red blood cells and platelets.

We are licensed by by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Division of Public Health and Environmental Laboratories; and federally by the Department of Health and Human Services – Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration. We are a member of and accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and the Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments (CLIA). We adhere to Federal and State governmental guidelines with regard to blood donors. We provide blood and blood products to All people, regardless of age, race, color or creed.

CBC-NJ is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees.

History:
The Community Blood Council of New Jersey was founded in 1966 when three area hospitals, St Francis Medical Center, Helene Fuld Medical Center and Mercer Medical Center, realized the necessity for a locally-based blood bank to serve the needs of the community. Pathologists with each of the three hospitals, Frank Campo, M.D. of St. Francis Medical Center; Walter G. Sawchak, M.D., of Helene Fuld Medical Center; and Norman H. Coopersmith, M.D., of Mercer Medical Center, along with Mr. Louis Grimaldi, General Manager of the General Motors Corporation in Ewing, New Jersey, were the founders. The three physicians served as the Medical Director on a rotational basis.

Mr. James Williams, who came to the Community Blood Council from the American Red Cross in Boston, was the first Executive Director, a position he held until his death in 1987. Mr. Grimaldi served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Officers at that time were: Mr. Grimaldi, President; Charles J.O. Wodehouse, 1st Vice President; John P. Marshall, M.D., 2nd Vice President; William R. Merritt, Secretary and Charles Umba, Treasurer. Directors included Sister Margaret Alacoque, Frank Bossman, Louis J. Persico, and Marie Lambert Vahlsing, as well as the three founding physicians, joined by Walter R. Edwards, M.D., John F. Marshall, M.D., and Rufus W. Miller, M.D. The physicians formed the Medical Advisory Board.

The name of the organization was initially the Community Blood Council of Mercer County, Inc., reflecting the primary area of service, and not-for-profit incorporation papers were filed on December 15, 1966.

Initial Phase
After its inception, the Community Blood Council met rigorous criteria to achieve its licensing by State and Federal regulatory agencies, and the center drew its first blood donations on October 10, 1969. From that date until the end of 1979, the Community Blood Council of Mercer collected a total of approximately 10,000 units of blood. By way of comparison, today the Community Blood Council of New Jersey draws significantly more units in one year.

November, 1970 marked the month that the Community Blood Council held its first remote blood drive – at the State Health Department. In 1975, the Community Blood Council acquired its first self-contained Bloodmobile, and was consequently able to draw blood at remote locations by simply parking in a parking lot. A new Bloodmobile, housing a 3-bed unit, was purchased in 1998.

Recent Growth and Expansion
Upon the death of Mr. Williams in 1987, Patrick Deschenes assumed the Executive Directorship of the Community Blood Council of New Jersey.

As the Community Blood Council of Mercer County grew, so did its area of service. Recognizing the need for the ability to make necessary decisions and implement new policies in a more timely fashion, the Blood Council was reorganized in October 1996, disbanding the advisory board so that operations were leaner. Reflecting its growing area of service, the name was changed to the Community Blood Council of New Jersey, Inc. in January 1997.

In March 2004 James J. Gosnay was appointed CEO, replacing Mr. Deschenes. Mr. Gosnay has been with the Community Blood Council of New Jersey since 1996, serving first as an independent hospital contract administrator, then as chief operating officer and director of hospital services and business development.

Contact person: Sue Robbins, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: 609-895-0373

Address:

1410 Parkside Avenue Trenton, NJ 08638 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.communitybloodcouncil.org

Directions:

From the North: Take Rte. 1 to I-95 South (toward Pennsylvania). Exit at Rte. 31 South. Go approximately 4 miles to Olden Ave. (large commercial strip). Turn LEFT onto Olden Avenue. Go 1 block, turn LEFT onto Parkside Avenue. CBC-NJ is. . . (more)