Republic of Georgia's National Center for Disease Control Partners With Global Healing to Advance Blood Safety Throughout Georgia

BERKELEY, CA--(Marketwired - Sep 22, 2015) - Global Healing, together with the Republic of Georgia's National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), kicked off a nine-part series of interactive webinars designed to educate and advance blood safety throughout the country. To date, nearly 100 participants representing regional blood banks across the nation have signed up for the educational series, Topics in Quality Management, which is being conducted by Ruth Sylvester, MS, MT (ASCP) SBB, director of Regulatory Services at America's Blood Centers (ABC).

"Good manufacturing practices are the foundation of all blood operations," says Sylvester. "And a thorough understanding of these basics is critical to achieve the next level in safety and quality in a blood operation. The Georgian blood system has shown an intense interest in moving forward, and I'm honored to be of assistance to them as they implement quality management throughout their country."

Participants in the webinar series include representatives from Georgia's NCDC, the Jo Ann Medical Center (JAMC) Blood Bank, the Institute of Transfusiology and Hematology, the Georgian Central Blood Bank (GCBB), Lashvili Blood Bank, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs (MOHLSA).

The series is based on EU standards and will address: good manufacturing practices; quality management principles; personnel; documentation including standard operating procedures; internal and external inspections; corrective and preventive actions, and more. Sessions will be pre-recorded and subtitled in Georgian, and Q&A sessions of 30 minutes will follow each unit.

The webinars represent the culmination of National Blood Safety Reform efforts launched in 2011 by the Georgian NCDC in collaboration with Global Healing.

About Global Healing
Global Healing, established in 1994, is a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to sustainably improving the quality of healthcare worldwide by providing modern medical equipment, supplies and training to medical professionals in developing countries. More information: www.globalhealing.org.