General Info

The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center began operations independent of the Medical Society on January 1, 1975, and began meeting the blood and blood component needs of patients being treated in 80 hospitals in a 16-county region. It has grown to serve more than 220 health care institutions in a 24-county Texas Gulf Coast region. Regional patient blood needs require that the Blood Center collect more than 273,000 units of blood and blood components from volunteer blood donors in 2006. 200,000 of these units are whole blood donations, which may be separated into their component parts to serve the specific transfusion needs of patients. An average of three components are available from each whole blood donation. Annual usage in this region exceeds over 720,000 units of blood and blood components. The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is located in Houston.