51st Annual Meeting
Buffalo, New York
On June 6th and 7th, 2002, the Blood Banks Association of New York State, Inc. held its 51st annual meeting in Buffalo, New York at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel. Over the course of two days, 131 individuals engaged in educational forums as well as networking with colleagues and vendors in the exhibit hall.
On June 6th, the morning sessions consisted of two workshops. The first presenter, Dr. Carmen Julius, Staff Pathologist from Butler Memorial Hospital, reviewed the optimal utilization of blood and blood components. Robert Dracker, MD, MHA from North Area Pediatrics, Infusacare Medical Services, and Viacord Corp., discussed derivative therapies and the strategies for their implementation. Arleen Behrens, Gene Bank Site Program Coordinator at Kaleida Health, Buffalo General Hospital, discussed anticoagulants and their impact upon clinical findings. The concurrent session was presented by Joanne Becker, M.D., Medical Director of Transfusion Services at Kaleida Health and Roswell Park Cancer Institute, who presented a discussion regarding current Good Manufacturing Practices.
One of the afternoon sessions on Thursday involved a discussion of the comparison in methodology obtained by three most common methods of pretransfusion testing: gel, solid phase, and traditional tube testing. Several blood samples were sent to three area hospitals that were asked to employ their standard testing methodology and identify antibody(ies) if detected. Karl Brewer, BS,MS,MT(ASCP) and Nancy Hoffman, BS,MT(ASCP) MPA from Rochester General Hospital, presented their findings with the gel antibody screening method. Janet Gatti, BS,MT (ASCP)SBB and Christine Pitocco, MS, MT(ASCP) SBB from SUNY Stony Brook, presented their findings with the solid phase antibody screening method. Nedda Howk, MT(ASCP)SBB and Debra Masel, MT(ASCP)SBB from Strong Memorial, presented their findings with the traditional tube antibody screening method. The concurrent session involved a presentation on creative thinking and problem solving. Dr. Gerard Puccio, Director of the Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY College at Buffalo, involved the participants in new and innovative ways of approaching and solving problems.
Thursday's sessions concluded with a cocktail reception, affording participants and exhibitors an opportunity to network. A board meeting followed the reception.
On Friday, June 7th, the morning sessions consisted of two workshops. The first session detailed the process for developing an emergency preparedness plan and understanding when to activate the plan. The presenters for this session included Marian Cavagnaro, MS, MT(ASCP)DLM Director of Laboratory Services at Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines, Florida, who discussed her hospital's approach to emergency preparedness; Dr. Eric Senaldi, Director of Medical Affairs at the Blood Center of New Jersey and former Medical Director of New York Blood Services, who discussed the New York Services disaster planning and their actual response to the World Trade Center disaster; and Dean Messing, Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Disaster Preparedness/Civil Defense Division, who discussed Erie County's plan for disaster preparedness. The concurrent session dealt with maximizing your laboratory's potential within certain monetary restraints. Presenters included L. Joan Logue, MT(ASCP) Principal of Health Systems Concepts, Inc., who discussed the coding and billing issues of blood bank products and service; Martha Miers, MS,MBA,MT(ASCP) Executive Director of Diagnostic Laboratories at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who discussed whether benchmarking is considered an asset or a liability; and Christopher Mancill, MA,CCP ARC National Reimbursement Officer, who discussed ways to ensure appropriate reimbursement for blood, blood products and related services.
One of the afternoon sessions on Friday dealt with outlining the aftermath of a disaster. Presenters for this session included Connie Foland, ARM,CPCU,MS Director of Risk Management at Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, who discussed planning for a disaster, and Bonita Frazer, MS,CTS from Lake Shore Behavioral Health, Inc., who discussed the management of traumatic stress. The concurrent session was presented by Robert Dracker, MD, MHA from North Area Pediatrics, Infusacare Medical Services, and Viacord Corp., who discussed innovations in stem cell transplantation and the appropriate therapy strategies for both autologous and allogeneic transplantation.
Physicians were able to acquire AMA Category 1 credit for some of the sessions in accordance with the Essentials Area and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACME) through the joint sponsorship of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the Blood Banks Association of New York State.
The Blood Banks Association of New York State, Inc. would like to acknowledge the following companies for their generous contributions which helped to defray meeting expenses: Baxter Fenwal, Cerner Corporation, Gambro BCT, Inc., Roche Diagnostics, Whatman HemaSure, Inc., Eastern Scientific, Inc., Fresenius HemoCare Inc., Haemonetics Corporation, MLH Enterprises Inc./HemoCue, R. F. Nozick and Associates, Inc., and Kaleida Health.