Michigan Community Blood Centers Manager Honored

TRAVERSE CITY, MI (September 20, 2007): Michigan Community Blood Centers congratulates Sharron Zimmerman, MT(ASCP) SBB, operations manager for Michigan Community Blood Centers in Northwest Michigan, who on September 19 received the Michigan Association of Blood Banks (MABB) Founders Award, recognizing lifetime achievement in the advancement of transfusion medicine and the goals and efforts of MABB. The prestigious award was presented during MABB’s annual meeting in Livonia, Michigan.

Zimmerman has been active in MABB for more than 30 years, first joining the organization as a medical technology student. Before becoming operations manager of Michigan Community Blood Centers in Northwest Michigan in 1995, she supervised the blood bank at Munson Medical Center. As an MABB member and officer, she was instrumental in developing and presenting educational opportunities related to transfusion medicine in northern Michigan.

“For any professional, it is extremely gratifying to have your work recognized by your peers,” Zimmerman said. “I’m very touched and truly honored to have the Founders Award given to me by an organization I respect so much. I do feel my greatest contribution has been in the area of education, and it feels wonderful to have those efforts recognized with this award.”

Though she plans to relocate to South Africa after retiring from Michigan Community Blood Centers in December this year, Zimmerman nevertheless hopes not to leave the field of transfusion medicine completely. She has tentative plans to work with blood banks in South Africa.

MABB is a statewide organization of individuals and institutions involved in work related to transfusion medicine. Among its goals are support for the highest standards of clinical practice, and advancing the education of professionals in transfusion medicine.

Michigan Community Blood Centers is a nonprofit blood bank that provides blood for hospitals in four regions of the state, Michigan Community Blood Centers in Northwest Michigan collects blood in Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, and Osceola counties. The entire blood supply for hospitals in those counties (including all Munson Health System facilities, West Shore Medical Center in Manistee, and Spectrum Health-Reed City Campus) is provided by Michigan Community Blood Centers. After all local hospitals’ needs have been met, Michigan Community Blood Centers shares any available blood with other communities across the state and nation, and also responds to disaster-related and military needs for blood.        

© Michigan Community Blood Centers