Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability Recommendations - January 2001

DATE: August 24, 2004

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Jerry A. Holmberg, PhD, Executive Secretary for Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability

SUBJECT: Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability Recommendations - April 29, 2001

The Advisory Committee unanimously made four Recommendations to Secretary Thompson on April 29, 2001 Minutes, transcripts and presentations are posted on the Committee's web site (http://www.hhs.gov/bloodsafety).

1. The Advisory Committee recognizes the importance of international issues in blood safety and availability and its importance to public health in the United States. The Advisory Committee endorses the present activities of government agencies in this area and supports the enhancement of these activities. Specifically, the Advisory Committee encourages the Department of Health and Human Services to foster research, training, and standard setting activities in international blood safety, including development and transfer of appropriate technologies for the developing world.

2. The Advisory Committee supports the establishment of a mechanism to identify priorities and coordinate the exchange of information and activities among government and appropriate non-government agencies in the United States. This effort should include appropriate linkages with international organizations and ongoing monitoring of these issues.

3. Whereas patient access to a safe and available blood supply is a public health priority, the Advisory Committee recommends that the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Congress:

   • Ensure that an appropriate office within the Department has the responsibility to facilitate the gathering and dissemination of national blood collection, distribution and utilization data, and the development of analytic models to predict shortages. Moreover, adequate federal dollars should be provided to support collection, analysis and distribution of these critical public health data. Specifically, the following actions should be addressed:

     1. Assign responsibility for this activity.

     2. Support programs to develop the data, and ensure that the data collected are available to the public.

     3. Encourage collaboration of blood collection centers for the purpose of identifying and addressing areas of short supply of blood and blood products.

     4. Encourage collaboration of plasma manufacturers for the purpose of identifying and addressing areas of short supply of plasma products and their recombinant analogs.

4. Support a program of public and physician education designed to improve blood and blood product donation and utilization throughout the United States, and encourage support for such programs through the Department of Health and Human Services.