Sentara Health Expands Partnership with The Blood Connection to Strengthen Blood Supply Across 12 Hospitals
Virginia-based Sentara Health has strengthened its commitment to patient care and healthcare reliability through an expanded partnership with The Blood Connection (TBC), a nonprofit community blood center. Under the agreement, The Blood Connection will serve as the primary supplier of blood and blood products for 12 Sentara hospitals located across Virginia and North Carolina. The partnership is designed to improve the availability of essential blood products, strengthen regional blood distribution capabilities, and ensure that patients receive timely access to lifesaving transfusions when they need them most.
The expanded relationship represents an important development in Sentara Health’s efforts to maintain a dependable blood supply across its hospital network. Blood availability plays a critical role in modern healthcare, particularly in emergency medicine, trauma treatment, surgical procedures, cancer care, childbirth complications, and other situations requiring immediate transfusion support. By working with a community-based blood supplier, Sentara aims to strengthen its supply chain and establish a more localized approach to blood collection, storage, and distribution.
The partnership initially began as a secondary supplier arrangement in August 2026. Since then, the relationship between the two organizations has expanded rapidly, with Sentara identifying The Blood Connection as its primary blood supplier effective November 1, 2026. The transition reflects the healthcare organization’s focus on ensuring consistent access to safe and reliable blood products throughout its hospital system.
According to Sentara Health, the decision to expand the partnership was driven by the importance of maintaining a reliable blood supply and the direct impact that availability has on patient outcomes. Hospitals depend on continuous access to different blood components to manage both planned medical procedures and unexpected emergencies. Any disruption in supply can create significant operational challenges for healthcare providers, especially facilities that regularly treat patients with serious injuries or complex medical conditions.
Ian Noga, Vice President of Laboratory Services for Sentara Health, emphasized that reliable access to safe blood products was the primary consideration behind the decision.
He explained that the organization recognizes the challenges involved in recruiting blood donors, collecting donations, conducting testing, and maintaining sufficient inventories. Sentara believes that adopting a fresh, locally focused approach to blood collection and distribution will help improve the reliability of its blood supply while supporting the needs of patients throughout its healthcare network.
The importance of this partnership is particularly evident in Sentara’s trauma care operations. The organization operates four trauma centers in Virginia, including a Level I trauma center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Level I trauma facilities provide comprehensive emergency services for patients experiencing severe and life-threatening injuries. These hospitals must maintain access to blood products around the clock because trauma cases can require significant quantities of blood within a very short period.
In emergency situations involving major accidents, serious injuries, internal bleeding, or other critical conditions, the availability of blood can directly influence treatment decisions and patient survival. Having a dependable supply chain is therefore an essential component of trauma center operations. Through its partnership with The Blood Connection, Sentara aims to strengthen the infrastructure supporting these critical services.
Delisa English, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Blood Connection, expressed appreciation for being selected as Sentara’s primary blood supplier. She highlighted the organization’s long-standing commitment to donor recruitment, blood collection, testing, and the distribution of lifesaving blood products.
The Blood Connection has been operating for approximately 65 years, developing experience in community-based blood collection and supply management. English noted that maintaining an accessible blood inventory is particularly important in healthcare environments where treatment decisions must be made quickly. When patients require immediate transfusions, hospitals need blood products to be available without unnecessary delays.
The partnership also creates opportunities for The Blood Connection to expand its operational presence in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. The organization is establishing a stronger local infrastructure to support Sentara’s 12 hospitals and improve the movement of blood products across the healthcare network.
As part of this expansion, The Blood Connection plans to open a dedicated blood storage depot in Hampton Roads. The facility will provide an important regional distribution point where blood products can be safely stored and transported to hospitals as required. The depot will operate in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements and established procedures for maintaining blood product quality and safety.
Another important component of the expansion is the development of a dedicated transportation network. The Blood Connection plans to distribute blood supplies using its own courier fleet, allowing the organization to manage transportation operations more directly. A dedicated delivery system can help coordinate hospital requirements, improve logistical efficiency, and support timely delivery when blood products are urgently needed.
In addition to expanding storage and transportation capabilities, The Blood Connection intends to establish a blood donation center in the Hampton Roads area. The center will provide residents with a convenient location to donate blood and participate in community-based donation programs.
The organization also plans to station two bloodmobiles in the region. These mobile donation units will help reach potential donors in different communities, including areas served by Sentara hospitals. Mobile blood donation programs are particularly valuable because they allow blood collection organizations to reach individuals who may not be able to visit a permanent donation center.
By taking donation opportunities directly into local communities, The Blood Connection hopes to encourage greater participation and build a stronger network of volunteer donors. The approach is expected to support the organization’s long-term ability to collect sufficient blood products for hospitals across the region.
The expansion is also expected to create employment opportunities in Hampton Roads. The Blood Connection plans to hire as many as 100 employees to support its growing clinical and transportation operations. These positions will help strengthen the organization’s regional capabilities, including blood collection, laboratory-related activities, inventory management, distribution, and logistics.
The planned workforce expansion reflects the operational requirements associated with becoming the primary blood supplier for a large hospital network. Managing blood supplies involves multiple stages, from recruiting donors and collecting donations to testing, processing, storing, and delivering blood products. Each stage requires trained personnel and carefully coordinated procedures to maintain quality and safety.
Blood safety remains a central priority for both organizations. The Blood Connection follows applicable U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations governing the testing, handling, and safe storage of blood supplies. Regulatory compliance is essential because donated blood must undergo appropriate screening and testing before it can be used for patient treatment.
Blood collection organizations also depend heavily on volunteer participation. Donated blood is an essential healthcare resource that cannot be manufactured as a substitute for human donations. Hospitals rely on individuals who voluntarily contribute their time and blood to help patients undergoing medical treatment.
Despite the importance of blood donation, participation remains relatively low across the United States. According to the information provided by The Blood Connection, approximately 3% of eligible people in the country donate blood. This highlights the need for continued public awareness, community engagement, and donor recruitment initiatives.
The Blood Connection encourages residents to recognize that donating blood can directly benefit people in their own communities. Donations support patients who require transfusions because of accidents, surgeries, medical conditions, cancer treatments, and other healthcare needs.
The organization’s community-based approach is built around the idea that local donors can help meet the needs of local patients. Through its expanded presence in Hampton Roads, The Blood Connection aims to strengthen this connection between donors, hospitals, and the communities they serve.
To recognize the contributions of volunteer donors, The Blood Connection also operates its TBC Rewards program. The program offers incentives such as redeemable electronic gift cards and other rewards as a token of appreciation for individuals who take the time to donate. These incentives are intended to acknowledge donor participation while encouraging continued engagement with blood donation programs.
The Blood Connection’s history dates back to 1962, when it was established in Greenville, South Carolina, under the name Greenville Blood Assurance Plan. The organization initially focused on providing blood collection and supply services to its surrounding communities. Over the years, it expanded its operations into additional regions across the southeastern United States.
In 2000, the organization adopted the name The Blood Connection as part of its continued development and broader regional presence. Today, it serves communities across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia.
Its partnership with Sentara represents another significant step in its regional expansion strategy. The organization has also established relationships with other healthcare providers. Since 2023, The Blood Connection has served as the exclusive blood supplier for Carilion Clinic, a Roanoke-based healthcare system.
These partnerships demonstrate the importance of developing strong relationships between community blood centers and healthcare providers. Hospitals require dependable suppliers that can support their clinical needs, while blood collection organizations depend on effective partnerships to ensure that donated blood reaches patients who need it.
For Sentara Health, the expanded agreement is part of a broader commitment to improving healthcare delivery and maintaining dependable clinical support services. Reliable blood availability is essential not only for emergency departments and trauma centers but also for routine hospital operations and specialized treatments.
The collaboration also demonstrates how healthcare organizations can work with nonprofit community partners to strengthen essential healthcare infrastructure. Rather than relying exclusively on broader supply networks, a regional approach can help create closer coordination between blood collection facilities, transportation teams, and hospitals.
As The Blood Connection continues developing its Hampton Roads operations, the combination of a local donation center, mobile blood collection units, a storage depot, and a dedicated courier fleet is expected to provide additional support for Sentara’s hospital network.
The success of the partnership will depend on sustained donor participation, effective inventory management, regulatory compliance, and the ability to deliver blood products when hospitals require them. Both organizations recognize that maintaining a reliable supply is an ongoing responsibility that requires coordination across the healthcare system.
Commenting on the partnership, Sentara’s Ian Noga reiterated the organization’s optimism about the new approach to blood donation and supply management. He emphasized that the most important objective is ensuring that blood is available for patients whenever it is needed.
Ultimately, the partnership between Sentara Health and The Blood Connection highlights the critical role of community blood donation in supporting modern healthcare. By expanding local collection and distribution capabilities, strengthening regional infrastructure, and encouraging volunteer participation, the organizations aim to improve blood availability for patients across Virginia and North Carolina.
With The Blood Connection becoming the primary blood supplier for 12 Sentara hospitals effective November 1, 2026, the collaboration represents a meaningful investment in regional healthcare preparedness. The planned expansion in Hampton Roads, including the creation of up to 100 jobs, further demonstrates the operational commitment behind the agreement.
For both organizations, the central goal remains clear: ensuring that safe, tested, and reliable blood products are available to healthcare professionals so they can provide timely treatment and improve patient outcomes.
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