Nebraska Community Blood Bank Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Nebraska Community Blood Bank (NCBB; NCBB.org) will celebrate its 50th anniversary this October.

“Reaching our 50th anniversary milestone is remarkable,” said Ellen DiSalvo, president of NCBB. “We started out very small with five employees and a handful of donors. But, because of hard work and good people we’ve managed to stay on the cutting edge and not only sustain our services but grow to better serve Nebraska. We are grateful for the people who’ve made blood donation part of their lives and our community partners, volunteers and supporters who understand the importance of us being able to do what we do.”

NCBB was founded in 1968 by the physicians of the Lancaster County Medical Society to ensure a safe and stable blood supply to support the city’s new open-heart surgery program. Prior to the establishment of a community-based blood bank in Lincoln, a blood donor would be called to the hospital to donate as blood was needed. A centralized blood bank allowed for blood to be collected, tested, and stored outside of the hospital to better serve the needs of the community.

NCBB is a non-profit that helps save the lives of thousands of patients by providing blood to hospitals in Lincoln, Omaha, and surrounding communities. The need for blood is constant, as is the need for volunteer blood donors and supporters. To learn more about how you can help, please visit NCBB.org.