SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass., July 15, 2014 – The American Association of Blood Banking (AABB) has accredited Harrington Hospital for its transfusion services after a recent assessment.
The AABB is an international non-profit association representing individuals and institutions involved in the field of transfusion medicines and cellular therapies. AABB describes its assessment process as rigorous, designed to encourage innovation and ongoing quality improvement.
According to Miriam Markowitz, CEO of AABB, Harrington received many positive comments from its assessors. Markowitz reported to Harrington CEO, Ed Moore, that the staff “was very professional and knowledgeable…well prepared and committed to high quality,” and that the Medical Director is “very involved and supportive of high quality.”
Hope Hartland, Director of Laboratory Services for Harrington, explained that this accreditation was done as an “initial inspection” from certified agents of AABB.
Prior to its AABB accreditation, Harrington Hospital received transfusion service accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). This meant that the Harrington staff and the Section Head of the Blood Bank Shelley Ingalls, had to re-work Harrington policy and procedure in transfusion services to comply with that of AABB and CAP.
It was put upon Ingalls to create, modify, and streamline new processes and procedures to become in compliance with AABB, particularly in rewriting policies and specialized training. “The team really pulled together to help make this a success. They stepped in to fill in for Shelley while she was focusing on these policies and procedures, and worked to make this a benefit to us all,” says Hartland.
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