A clean start for Tauranga’s new NZ Blood Service Donor Centre
The team at CrestClean’s Tauranga office stepped out last week to visit the new NZ Blood Service Donor Centre in Tauranga and donate blood themselves.
The new centre opened on April 8 and boasts a significantly larger space than the previous location, allowing NZBS to increase donor beds from nine to 15. While it’s only down the road from the old premises, the new centre is a major upgrade for Tauranga’s NZBS staff and their donors.
Tauranga franchise owner, Malcolm Brown, played a key role in preparing the new NZ Blood Service premises, installing dispensers for soap, hand sanitiser, toilet rolls and paper towels.
Working to the strict guidelines set out by NZBS, Malcolm also installed wall-mounted rubbish bins throughout the space.
NZ Blood Donor Relations Co-ordinator, Hannah Paul, ensures all donors enjoy positive and smooth donations. She’s excited about the impact the new premises will have in enhancing donor experiences.
“The biggest change is the size of the space. Our kitchen here is the size of the whole donor floor in the old building,” laughs Hannah.
“Where we are now is more accessible. We’ve got 15 donor carparks underground whereas before we had nine beds and only six parks.”
There are also now enough beds to accommodate businesses that bring in teams for group donations. Prior to moving into the new space, NZBS would have to rely on mobile drives as the old space was too small for large groups.
Plasma donors get to experience new state-of-the-art machines that streamline the donation process. The Aurora machines make donating plasma more comfortable and efficient than previous machines.
“The needle can’t be in for longer than an hour for plasma. With the new machines, we haven’t had to stop a donation because the new machines don’t exceed the time,” says Hannah.
CrestClean franchise owners, Seokjae Jeong and Yun Hwa Lee, manage the cleaning at NZBS Tauranga. The cleaning team is responsible for meeting the stringent hygiene standards of NZBS and maintaining that ‘new building’ cleanliness.
“The cleanliness in here is very noticeable,” says Hannah.
“Being in such a new space, it’s nice to keep it feeling clean and new and that’s exactly what we get with CrestClean.”
Hannah and the team are happy to see some CrestClean franchise owners pop in to donate from time to time.
“We’ve seen a few of them come through and donate. They’re always so friendly,” she says.
The increased capacity and accessibility of the new building will help to meet this target and maintain healthy stock levels. With the growing demand for plasma-derived products known as immunoglobulins, the ability to provide more beds and appointments has been vital. Immunoglobulins are used to help people with low levels of antibodies, either through illness such as infections, or cancers of the white blood cells and bone marrow, as well as some autoimmune disorders. Many patients who rely on immunoglobulins require lifetime treatment on a regular basis, some as frequently as once a week.
“In a very short time, we can go from max stock levels to very little very quickly, which is such a shame when we don’t have as many donors as we need,” says Hannah.
Hannah hopes to remove the fear surrounding donating blood and plasma by making the experience as positive as possible.
“The hardest part of donating is making that initial decision. It’s the fear of the unknown for a lot of people,” says Hannah.
Donating blood takes about five to ten minutes from the time the needle goes in. The friendly and professional staff at NZBS Tauranga understand the fears surrounding donating blood, but ensure donors feel comfortable from the moment they walk through the door.
“It’s a very simple process. We are fortunate to have dedicated, experienced staff who deliver a vital service to our communities,” she says.
CrestClean takes great pride in partnering with NZ Blood and creating a safe and hygienic environment for both blood donors and staff. Hannah and the team at NZBS Tauranga are grateful for the support and service they receive from CrestClean.
“The interactions we’ve had with CrestClean have been amazing, which you don’t always get with big companies. So that, as well as pleasant experiences with people on the ground is really amazing for us,” she says.
One donation can save three lives. Visit the NZBS website to book or pop in to your local NZBS centre and make a life-changing donation today.
