During the last week of July, America’s Blood Centers participated in the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit in Chicago, Illinois. As the foremost annual gathering of state lawmakers and staff from across the country, the Summit offers a unique opportunity to engage with policymakers from both sides of the aisle. NCSL is a nonpartisan organization that provides legislators with policy research, training, and technical assistance tailored to their needs.
ABC’s presence at the Summit allowed us to connect directly with legislators and staffers from a wide range of states. Eight ABC member blood centers – Blood Assurance, The Community Blood Center (Appleton), ImpactLife, LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, Mississippi Blood Services, Rock River Valley Blood Center, Versiti, and Vitalant – joined ABC at the booth. Vitalant, Versiti, and The Community Blood Center (Appleton) also partnered with ABC to host the first-ever blood drive held at an NCSL Summit.
Over two days, more than 120 people registered to donate, and 112 blood products were collected. Given the summer decline in donations, we are deeply grateful to every NCSL participant who rolled up their sleeves to give.
At the booth, we shared insights about the vital role community blood centers play in maintaining a safe and reliable blood supply. A steady stream of attendees stopped by, and we made meaningful connections that will help advance our mission. This engagement complements the ongoing work of our member centers through the ABC Council of States.
At the Summit, we laid important groundwork on the Council of States’ four priority initiatives:
1. Promoting state policies that support the adoption of prehospital blood use;
2. Supporting state-based opportunities for protected employee blood donation leave;
3. Advancing blood donor education curriculum in schools; and
4. Encouraging state resolutions to designate January as Blood Donor Month.
We were pleased to see strong enthusiasm from legislators across all four topics. Our next steps include active collaboration between blood centers and their state policymakers, and we are working with our Council of States members to keep the momentum going. To support these efforts, we invite Council of States members to join our upcoming meetings on September 10 at 2:00 PM ET and November 5 at 2:00 PM ET.
With the energy from Chicago still fresh, we’re already looking ahead to next year’s NCSL Legislative Summit in Atlanta. Members interested in joining the booth can reach out to Susan Leppke at sleppke@americasblood.org.