The Montana Red Cross recently remodeled its Great Falls blood donation center, processing center and reference lab.

The Great Falls facility is one of 21 reference laboratories in the U.S. and the Montana Red Cross is making a $3 million investment in renovating the current center here, as well as expanding its Bozeman site.

The reference lab has high-tech equipment and trained staff to match patients with their exact blood needs, including those who require rare blood types, according to Montana Red Cross.

Our reference laboratory is one of only 21 such facilities across the country. It features high-tech equipment and highly trained staff and helps match patients with their exact blood needs, including those who require extremely rare blood types.

According to the Red Cross, every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood and the agency helps meet that need by providing about 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply.

The Great Falls facility is one of the largest Red Cross manufacturing and distribution centers of blood products in the U.S. providing more than 16,00 units of blood, platelets and plasma annually to hospital partners.

The Great Falls blood processing center screens and tests more than 44,000 blood products collected at Red Cross drives statewide before they go out to Montana hospitals.

The Montana Red Cross has raised $2,390,305 of its $3 million goal and an anonymous donor committed $100,000 for the new biomedical facilities in the state, matching donations up to that amount.

Craig Stahlberg, board chairman out of Missoula, said that the improvements are important to getting more blood donations for the people who need it.

The Great Falls center hasn’t been updated since the 1970s and the newly renovated suite was named for Wilbert Graf who donated 340 units of blood over his lifetime and left a legacy gift to Montana Red Cross when he died in 2021.

Denise Burk, a Montana Red Cross board member in Great Falls, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 and suffered rare side effects from the chemotherapy, losing 90 pounds and becoming anemic and couldn’t stay hydrated.

She had experienced bouts of anemia when she was younger and during her cancer treatment, she was in the Great Falls’ infusion center often, receiving eight units of whole blood or platelets over a month and a half.

Toward the end of her cancer treatment, she was diagnosed with COVID pneumonia and received the final two units of blood for her anemia diagnosis while she was hospitalized fighting that severe respiratory illness, according to the Red Cross.

One day she was in the center getting saline and the doctor said she was in critical condition and needed blood immediately.

“In that moment, you realize how on the brink of life you are, how close to the edge,” Burk said.

During the June 20 event at the newly remodeled facility, Burk said she had recently celebrated her 50th birthday.

The Montana Red Cross is headquartered in Great Falls, serving all 56 counties and seven reservations across Montana.

The agency also has offices in Bozeman, Helena, Kalispell and Missoula.

The Great Falls facility is located at 1300 28th St. S. on the third floor.

A TroyStrong blood drive is being held at the donation center on June 27.

Visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter the sponsor code TROYSTRONG to schedule an appointment.

Showdown Montana and the Great Falls Ski Patrol are hosting a community blood drive 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 28 at the Great Falls facility. Those who give blood will receive a lift ticket and $15 e-gift card.

Schedule an appointment at redcrossblood.org with sponsor code gfskipatrol.

Photo by Montana Red Cross