NEW BEDFORD, Mass. —Southcoast Hospitals Group has been granted accreditation by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). Accreditation follows an intensive onsite assessment by specially trained AABB assessors and establishes that the level of medical, technical and administrative performance within the facility meets or exceeds the standards set by the association.

“Southcoast Hospitals Group voluntarily seeks AABB accreditation because it validates the high level of professional proficiency and technical expertise achieved by our blood bank and transfusion staff every day at our three hospitals,” said John K. Laverty, MD, Medical Director of the St. Luke’s and Tobey hospitals blood banks. Thomas Kiefer, MD, is the Medical Director of the Charlton Memorial Hospital blood bank.

            The AABB accreditation program thoroughly assesses the quality and operational processes in place in the laboratories, including collecting, processing, testing, distributing and administering blood and cellular therapy. Southcoast Hospitals Group has laboratories at all three hospitals — Charlton Memorial in Fall River, St. Luke’s in New Bedford and Tobey in Wareham — as well as at the Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care in Fall River and Dartmouth. The Southcoast Blood Bank collects blood donations for the community at the Southcoast Blood Bank at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and on the Southcoast Health Van.  

            AABB is an international non-profit membership organization dedicated to advancing the field of transfusion medicine and related biological therapies. To learn more go to www.aabb.org.