CTMC enters life-saving partnership with the Texas Cord Blood Bank
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 30, 2013
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Rachel Nelson (512) 753-3616
Rachel.nelson2@ahss.org
Janice Carpio, Texas Cord Blood Bank
(210) 731-5519
CTMC ENTERS LIFE-SAVING PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS CORD BLOOD BANK
SAN MARCOS, TX — On Sept. 16, Central Texas Medical Center (CMTC) began collecting cord blood units in a life-saving partnership with the Texas Cord Blood Bank (TCBB). The TCBB, a program of GenCure, is a nonprofit program established by the Texas legislature in 2001 to collect umbilical cord blood, which can benefit patients, usually children, suffering from a number of potentially fatal diseases.
“Cord blood from newborns can offer hope to people who desperately need it,” according to CMTC CEO/President Sam Huenergardt. “The more donors there are, the better chances these people have of finding a match. We are pleased to enter this partnership with the Texas Cord Blood Bank.”
Umbilical cord blood, which is typically discarded after the birth of a baby, is rich in blood-making cells that can be used as an alternative to bone marrow transplants to treat cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, disorders of the blood-making system such as sickle cell anemia, and severe immune-system disorders.
“Each partnership helps increase the chance for patients to find a life-saving match in the registry,” says Ray Adams, Cord Blood Director. “Because genetic makeup affects the compatibility between the blood of donors and recipients, it is important to establish an ethnically diverse supply of cord blood in order to increase the likelihood of finding a suitable transfusion for all patients in need. “
The Texas Cord Blood Bank has sent 237 units for transplant since May 2005.
Additionally, CTMC became the only Certified Milk Depot in Hays County in 2011 through a partnership that was established with the Mother’s Milk Bank at Austin. The collaboration allows CTMC to provide and accept breast milk that helps newborn babies grow and thrive. Since becoming a donor milk collection site, CTMC has provided thousands of ounces of breast milk to infants in need.
For more information about services at the CTMC Women’s Center, visit www.ctmc.org. To schedule a tour of the facility, please call (512) 753-3528.
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About CTMC
The hospital, which originated in 1923 as Hays County Soldiers, Sailors and Marines Memorial Hospital, was restructured in 1960. The present facility was opened at its current Wonder World Drive location in 1983. The CTMC staff of more than 700 employees works with more than 220 active and consulting physicians to provide quality services to patients and their families.
In addition, over 200 community members and interns from area educational institutions volunteer their services to the hospital. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, CTMC was named The Best Hospital in Hays County. CTMC also added a certified Chest Pain Center to its ER capabilities in 2011. In 2012, CTMC became the first operating room along the IH-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio to be equipped with a da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery suite.
CTMC is a member of the Adventist Health System (AHS), a not-for-profit healthcare organization that emphasizes Christ at the center of care. Founded in 1973, AHS has quickly grown to become the largest not-for-profit Protestant healthcare provider in the nation. Today, AHS supports 43 hospitals and employs 55,000 individuals. AHS hospitals are comprised of 7,700 licensed beds, providing care for 4 million patients each year in inpatient, outpatient and emergency room visits.
About Texas Cord Blood Bank
Specially approved by the Texas legislature and the first in the State, the Texas Cord Blood Bank – a program of GenCure – is a source of ethnically diverse, life-saving umbilical cord blood. With more than 30,000 people currently waiting for a transplant to be found, donor families across Texas have turned the birth of one child – their child – into hope for families around the world. For more information, please visit SouthTexasBlood.org.
About GenCure
GenCure, a BioBridge Global subsidiary, applies advances in regenerative medicine to help heal patients suffering from trauma, disease or the aging process. Using processed tissue and cell-based therapies, GenCure works to connect needs with solutions. GenCure incorporates marrow donor services, tissue services, peripheral blood stem cell collection, and cord blood cellular therapy programs.
