The Blood Center, St. Tammany Parish Hospital Introduce Thank The Donor

The Blood Center and St. Tammany Parish Hospital (STPH) introduced Thank The Donor, allowing patients to thank their blood donor.

ThankTheDonor.org connects patients confidentially with their blood donor. The technology allows patients to send a note, photo, or video to their donor using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. The program breaks the communication barriers with a new and different way to share a “thank you” while protecting the anonymity of both the donor and patient. 

St. Tammany Parish Hospital is the first hospital in Louisiana to pilot this program with The Blood Center. Patients, their family, or friends can all use ThankTheDonor.org to send a message of gratitude. Blood brought to a patient’s room includes a green heart hanging from the bag along with a card containing simple instructions on accessing the site.

“To date, we’ve already received ten messages of thanks from patients,” said Paul Adams, public relations manager for The Blood Center. “Our priority is insuring anonymity of the patient and donor. There isn’t direct communication between the two, but knowing how or when your blood was used can be extremely gratifying and hopefully encourages others to give as well.”

“Receiving a thank you from the recipient of your blood makes the act of donating so personal and rewarding,” says Judy Garic, STPH laboratory department head. “The ability to connect the donor and recipient will bring the act of donating to a more personal level.”

11/04/2019