The Community Blood Center

About

The Community Blood Center (CBC) is thrilled to open its first donor center in the Chicago area

—right here in the Beverly neighborhood—and continue supporting local hospitals within the

community. Since 1955, CBC has worked with local leaders and community organizations to respond

to the unique needs of the communities it serves. By opening a permanent location with regular blood

donation opportunities, CBC is able to further expand its mission to Connect Lives and Share Life in

Chicago and help more patients in need of transfusions.

Chicago is one of the nation’s most diverse cities, so there are many unique transfusion needs here.

Every day, for many reasons, there is a large, unmet need for blood in Chicago. CBC is here to help

build a strong blood supply to support the needs of the community. After all, blood donation is about

community. The best blood transfusion outcomes happen when the blood is from a donor within the

patient’s community. For example, many African Americans battle Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), and

many times, treatment requires routine and frequent blood transfusions over an extended period. As

SCD patients receive more blood transfusions, it becomes more critical for the blood to come from

donors genetically likely to have the desired medicinal benefit.

By expanding operations in Chicago, CBC welcomes a new community of blood donors to join its

mission and make a positive impact on the South Side of the city. By engaging Chicago’s South Side

community in blood donation, CBC can provide blood for ongoing medical treatments for patients with

SCD and other serious medical conditions at local hospitals, including University of Chicago Medicine

Hyde Park and University of Chicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial.

In addition to supporting patient needs through blood collection, CBC’s growth in Chicago is about

expanding community. CBC aims to partner with the community, and be a part of it. CBC will

continue to do more in the local neighborhoods across the Chicago area through strategic

partnerships and community engagement.

With nearly 70 years of experience, best practices and a keen understanding that every community

has unique blood needs, CBC treats blood donation as a lifesaving gift. Blood cannot be made or

manufactured. It must come from another person.

CBC encourages all who are eligible to spend just about an hour to donate blood at the new South

Side Donor Center. You’ll leave proud to be a leader for your family, friends and neighbors, and know

you made a powerful impact in a local patient’s life.