Only 3% of eligible blood donors actually donate each year. That statistic shocked Gretchen Jameson when she joined Versiti as executive vice president and chief marketing officer this year.
“Giving blood has a direct impact on peoples’ lives, and on our community,” Jameson says. “Whether you are a teenager at your first high school blood drive or someone who has given for many years, you’re directly helping someone, across backgrounds and economic classes, which is really amazing.”
Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin, located in Milwaukee, is the exclusive provider of blood to over 55 hospitals. Donating blood to Versiti has wide-ranging benefits. First and foremost, blood donations have a direct and lifesaving impact on patients who need transfusions. But they also do much more.
Versiti Blood Research Institute (VBRI) in Milwaukee is at the leading edge of research into blood disorders. That research impacts how effectively people are treated, how successfully diseases are diagnosed, and how well transfusions are carried out, affecting the lives of patients around the world.
“I joined Versiti because of the opportunity to make an impact in Milwaukee and the Great Lakes region,” Jameson says. “We have a beautiful opportunity to improve health region-wide.”
Since its founding in 1947, Versiti – then known as the Milwaukee Blood Center – has established a stellar reputation. VBRI houses dozens of world-class scientists, all focused on different aspects of blood research. It’s one of the only institutions in the nation dedicated exclusively to blood, and as a result researchers from multiple disciplines collaborate under one roof to push the field forward.
This year, the organization is opening Versiti on King, a new blood and community resource center on Milwaukee’s North Side as part of the ThriveOn King development.
“At Versiti, we use this phrase, ‘People need people,’” Jameson says. “There’s a major opportunity to broaden the base of blood donors in communities of color, and this center will allow us to do that. But more importantly, it will help achieve improved patient outcomes. It’s groundbreaking for a blood-bank organization to do this, and I believe there will be a ripple effect across the region.”
At the same time, the nonprofit is expanding VBRI, adding more lab and diagnostic space and hiring more researchers to fill it.
“To speak plainly as someone in the middle of a cancer battle, I’m a beneficiary of diagnostic labs,” Jameson says. “They’ve helped me understand my health and my choices, and every member of the community deserves that kind of access to their health care. … The work we’re doing is exceptional and unique, and donors should know that when they choose to give, they’re having a remarkable impact.”
Versiti
414-937-6238
Versiti.org/VBRI
