More Than $850,000 to Support Red Cross Blood Collection & Distribution Secured by Senator Collins
The funding will make improvements to Red Cross biomedical facility in Portland
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced today that she secured $871,000 in the Fiscal Year 2022 Health and Human Services Appropriations bill to support the Red Cross’ blood collection and distribution efforts.
The omnibus funding package passed the House and the Senate and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“Every two seconds, when someone in the U.S. needs blood, the Red Cross is there to meet that critical need,” said Senator Collins. “Ensuring that the Red Cross has the equipment and facilities it needs to collect and distribute blood to hospitals literally makes the difference between life and death. I strongly supported this investment to help the Red Cross continue its lifesaving mission to maintain an adequate blood supply in Maine.”
“Ensuring a safe and accessible blood supply is an integral piece of the healthcare safety net for communities across the state of Maine and our entire country,” said Stephanie Couturier, CEO, American Red Cross Northern New England Region. “This investment in our biomedical facility will fund urgent repairs and improvements to our blood collection and distribution infrastructure in Maine. We are grateful to Senator Collins and Senator King for their partnership and for the support of our congressional delegation as we work together to maintain a reliable blood supply for Maine residents in need.”
The Red Cross will use this funding Senator Collins secured to make critical repairs and upgrades to its biomedical facility in Portland. This facility serves as a vital hub in the statewide collection and distribution of more than 60,000 units of blood and blood products annually. Federal support will fund a new generator to safeguard life-saving blood products, a staging area for mobile, community-based blood drives, and parking lot repairs to maintain the integrity of their specialized transport fleet.
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