MEDICAL CENTER'S CENTER FOR BLOODLESS
MEDICINE & SURGERY DONATES CELL SAVER MACHINES

---

Standing with two of the cell savers Hackensack University Medical Center donated to The Watchtower Society are: from left, James Springer, perfusion technician; Jo Valenti, R.N., manager of The Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery; and Garland Dance, chief of Perfusion.

Hackensack University Medical Center's Center for Bloodless Medicine & Surgery has donated six cell saver machines to the Watchtower Society in the last year. Cell saver machines allow surgeons to recycle the patient's own blood during surgery so that less blood is lost. The Watchtower Society in turn has made these cell savers available to countries in Europe that do not have access to this technology.

"Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions for religious reasons, but many other patients concerned about the inherent risks associated with transfusions today are seeking alternatives" said Jo Valenti, R.N. of Maywood, nurse manager for The Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center. "Many patients can benefit from the technology of the cell saver."

Just recently the medical center donated a cell saver to the Guayaquil Branch of the Watchtower Society in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The largest city in Ecuador, Guayaquil is home to two million people, yet there are no hospitals there that have a cell saver. When a cell saver is needed it must be flown in from the capital Quito, 300 miles away.

"Jehovah's Witnesses here and in Ecuador appreciate the generosity of hospitals like Hackensack University Medical Center, " said James N. Pellechia, director, Office of Public Affairs, Watchtower Society, Brooklyn, N.Y. "Having this equipment now in Ecuador will help raise the quality of healthcare for patients there, both those who are Jehovah's Witnesses and those who are not."

The Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center is committed to providing the highest quality of healthcare to patients who, for religious or other reasons, choose to refuse blood transfusions and blood products. For more information on bloodless medicine call (201) 996-2963 or 1-877-BLOODLS.