Five questions with Dr. Kim-Anh Nguyen, president of the Blood Bank of Hawaii.

How has the Blood Bank of Hawaii adapted to the coronavirus pandemic?

We made extensive changes to our operations in order to mitigate the pandemic’s impact. Initially, we canceled all privately sponsored blood drives and physically modified our donor centers and bloodmobiles to prioritize the safety of donors and staff. Our staff implemented enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Hawaii Department of Health.

In place of our blood drives hosted by community partners, we re-established our Dillingham location as a second donor center and located our three bloodmobiles in Waikele, Kapolei and Kailua with consistent weekly schedules. Between March and August, we suspended our neighbor island collections and solely relied on healthy Oahu donors. We’re fortunate that neighbor island donors returned with enthusiasm, as we now visit one island per month.

Our other top priority was securing the reliability of the blood supply to the 18 private hospitals who depend on our services to care for their patients, which meant extensive logistics coordination with air and ground carriers so the transport of blood wouldn’t be interrupted. We also began to collaborate more closely with our hospital clients. Other changes that have lasted through today include a joint daily inventory and COVID-19 patient status meeting with our hospital partners.

What is the value of COVID-19 convalescent plasma?

Plasma has been used as a medical treatment for over a century. As COVID-19 patients recover, their immune response generates antibodies in their blood plasma. Convalescent plasma, also known as CCP, has specific and powerful antibodies that can help boost the immune response of hospitalized COVID-19 patients to help them fight the virus. Each CCP donation yields approximately two to four patient doses.

In April, we formed the Hawaii COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Coalition and began to collect and distribute CCP as part of a national Early Access Protocol study funded by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and led by the Mayo Clinic.

The FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization status of CCP last August, specifically to be used to treat COVID patients and only during this health emergency. In the absence of a cure, CCP remains one of the primary treatment options for hospitalized patients. CCP has only one source: recovered COVID-19 patients, and it can only be drawn from those who are fully recovered from the virus and symptom-free for 28 days. Those who are vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine can still donate plasma for up to six months after their last symptom.

Is the Blood Bank collecting enough blood products (whole blood/plasma/platelets) to meet demand?

Our inventory of blood products is currently stable. Half of our inventory is held on site at the Blood Bank of Hawaii and the other half on site by hospitals. To maintain an adequate local inventory of all blood types, we need 150 to 200 donors daily. We typically see a dip in donations during winter and summer months, partly because school is out of session and colleges and high schools account for about 13% of our donors.

The products that are in highest demand are whole blood/red cells from type O-negative donors, along with platelets (that only have a five-day shelf life) and CCP. If we have another surge or get one of the new strains that seem more highly contagious, our current CCP inventory would be hard-pressed to meet full demand, and so patients’ treatments would be delayed or reduced.

With the pandemic year, did you notice changes in the supply, or demand, for blood?

Overall, in 2020, donations were down by approximately 3,000 donors from the prior year. During the first half of the year, when Hawaii’s hospitals were focused on COVID patients and we experienced a long-term shutdown, elective surgeries were also canceled or postponed. The demand for blood needed for emergency traumas and automobile accidents also slowed due to reduced community activities. Our goal was to ensure that no lives were lost due to lack of blood and the change in utilization patterns likely contributed to meeting that goal.

However, as the state and hospitals opened up, demand resumed and during the surge in cases over the summer, the demand for CCP exceeded our ability to meet it with local donors. We were fortunate at the time that we were able to import some CCP from the mainland.

We are so grateful for all the first-time and repeat donors , and for amazing corporate sponsors, such as First Hawaiian Bank and Hawaiian Airlines, for their unwavering support.

What do you say to potential donors who fear becoming infected with COVID-19?

I would reassure them that donating blood is completely safe and our industry, including Blood Bank of Hawaii, has always prioritized health and cleanliness. Prior to donating, we make sure donors are healthy at the door through temperature checks and a pre-screening questionnaire. We modified the layout of our donation areas and moved to an appointment- only system to achieve safe social distancing, and masks are required for both donors and staff. The staff all use personal protective equipment such as shields and gloves, and the post-donation snacks that we serve are all pre-packaged. It’s also good to remember that every two seconds someone needs blood and every donation can save three lives. Sometimes that is reason enough.

The bio file

>> Current title: President and CEO, Blood Bank of Hawaii

>> Recent experience: Clinical assistant professor at University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Pathology; medical director, Blood Centers of the Pacific; associate clinical professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine; director of Transfusion Medicine Fellowship Program, UCSF/Blood Centers of the Pacific.

>> Education: Bachelor’s in biochemical sciences from Harvard University; M.D., Ph.D., in immunology from University of Pennsylvania.

>> Personal profile: Married to Joseph Foo; mother to one; hobbies include ballroom dancing, cooking and island adventures with family.

>> One more thought: If you’re healthy, please consider donating blood, platelets or plasma. CCP donors will receive a nontransferable $25 Foodland certificate. To learn more about blood/CCP donation or to make an appointment, please contact Blood Bank of Hawaii at (808) 848-4770 or visit bbh.org.