History

In November 1966, UPMC Hamot Medical Center, Saint Vincent Health Center, Metro Health Center and Millcreek Community Hospital
collaborated to found the Community Blood Bank (CBB) of Erie County.

1972 - Regional Clinical Laboratories in Erie centralized blood donation in the Erie community with the creation of The Community Blood Bank, which was housed as a recruitment arm.

July of 1985 - The Community Blood Bank took on sole responsibility for donor recruitment as well as the collection, processing, testing and distribution of blood and blood products.

November 1999 - another location opened in Bradford, PA, expanding the reach and service of the blood bank to Bradford Regional Medical Center in McKean County.

A regional mobile team secures The Community Blood Bank presence in McKean and Warren Counties through organizational and community blood drives.

July of 2003 - The Community Blood Bank began supplying Elk Regional Health Center with blood and blood products bringing its coverage area to 4 counties in Northwest Pennsylvania: Erie, Warren, McKean and Elk.

February 2005 - The Community Blood Bank began supplying blood to six hospitals in Western New York.

The Community Blood Bank of NW PA has now formed the Community Blood Bank of Western New York and will be conducting business in Western New York under this name. A separate staff was set up just for WNY for holding blood drives, but all testing and handling of the blood occurs at the Community Blood Bank of NW PA.

July of 2007 - The Community Blood Bank expanded its services and added on one more hospital, the Charles Cole Memorial Hospital.

September of 2008 - The Community Blood Bank has began accepting 16 year old blood donors. Due to FDA regulations, The Community Blood Bank was only able to draw donors that were at least 17 years of age for the past 28 years. The FDA has recently passed a new bill to allow 16 year-olds to donate blood with a signed parental consent form. 

The Community Blood Bank exists as a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to provide a safe, adequate supply of voluntarily-donated blood for patients. We are licensed by the FDA and hold permits in the New York Department of Health and in the Pennsylvania Department of Health. We are accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Acts and are a member of America’s Blood Centers.