On the cover: Debbie Davila, Supervisor, Donor Services Ops in Victoria, welcomes Harry Hemoglobin to the new facility.
Mary Uhlig
Isabel Campos, Roberto Esquivel, Matthew Flores, Ashley Frolick, Diana Garcia, Francine Pina, Catalina Ramos, Roger Ruiz, Sarah Sanchez, Angelica Sandoval, Laurryn Salem, Jillian VanDamme
6211 IH 10 West, San Antonio, TX 78201.
Accountability: Do our part to achieve BBG’s
and
Stewardship: Serve others selflessly and responsibly Pioneer: Create and deliver
products and service s
Build trust and unity by doing the right thing Respect: Treat all with dignity and kindness
Adrienne Mendoza, COO of STB&T
Adrienne Mendoza Chief Operating Officer
South Texas Blood & Tissue
This month, I want to highlight the exciting work being done across BioBridge Global to enable the future of precision and personalized medicine. Through various projects, we are helping make significant strides and rapidly accelerating this field.
Precision medicine is an approach to healthcare that takes into account both population level and individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle. By understanding an individual patient's unique factors in disease risk, and how a patient may respond to different treatments, healthcare providers can tailor treatment plans to the individual patient through personalized medicine, maximizing their chances of success while minimizing potential side effects.
Advanced therapies, such as cell and gene therapies, can harness the power of human cells, either directly from a patient or those from a donor, to treat a wide range of diseases, including cancer, genetic disorders, and autoimmune diseases. These types of therapies are the ultimate expression of precision medicine because they are designed to target the underlying causes of disease at the cellular level.
Currently, one of the most promising types of advanced therapy is CAR-T therapy. CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) is a type of immunotherapy that involves engineering T-cells to target and destroy cancer cells.
This type of therapy has shown remarkable results in clinical trials, with many patients achieving complete remission from their cancer. We have been working with multiple customers over the past few years to enroll donors, collect, test, preserve and ship these cells to support patients receiving these therapies.
One of the challenges in the field of precision and
personalized medicine is that vast amounts of data are needed to improve and inform decisions, hence why one enabling technology for this field is artificial intelligence (AI). AI can help analyze vast amounts of data. However, it's essential to ensure that AI models are developed based on diverse and complete data sets that reflect the needs and experiences of all patients, regardless of their social determinants of health.
Unfortunately, health and research databases have not been inclusive of all populations, particularly those from marginalized or underrepresented communities. Income, education, and access to healthcare can lead to disparities in health outcomes and an incomplete understanding of health needs across different populations.
A more complete understanding of population health is needed, and to this end, we are proud to support the NIH research program, All of Us, by enrolling research participants to collect health data from a diverse range of people, including those from historically underrepresented communities.
This study will gather data from a wide range of sources, including electronic health records, surveys, and wearable devices, and will be one of the largest and most diverse health databases in the world. By participating in this initiative, we are helping to build a more comprehensive understanding of human health and disease, which may ultimately lead to better treatments and cures.
I am very optimistic about the future of precision and personalized medicine because of our organization's direct role in this field in numerous areas. Through our work with customers that are developing new therapies, and through research initiatives that will improve the source data, we are expanding our mission by making significant progress towards better treatments and cures for all.
This is what we are made for at BioBridge Global. Working together, we're building a bridge to a healthier future, through the healing power of human cells and tissues!
VICTORIA DONOR CENTER
could be a template for centers to come
The day the highly anticipated new donor center in Victoria opened in late March, a familiar face showed up to make her regular platelets donation.
Grace Kloppenburg, who has a longstanding rivalry with her cousin to see how much blood they can give, was impressed with the new facility located next to the H-E-B Plus in a busy part of town.
“I think it’s real nice. I like the color - it's so relaxed,” she said. “It’s kind of where we all go to H-E-B, and then we’re right here too.”
The new Victoria donor center is a stark contrast to the small, dark, and dated donor room in a less busy area of town. The new donor center is modern and state-of-theart.
“We want to make the environment people are giving in fresh, clean, inviting and, it’s not just about convenience, but this is a state-of-the-art facility with the best equipment and the best team, which has always been here in our community,” said Adrienne Mendoza, Chief Operating Officer of South Texas Blood & Tissue.
From the first day of collections, staff noticed people stopping by on their way to H-E-B to check out the center and even received a walk-in, first-time donor on opening day. That H-E-B Plus is seen by more than 35,000 people (about twice the seating capacity of Madison Square Garden) each week, according to Jay Podjenski, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Community Development.
“This is the concept where we bring the location to where the people are instead of asking the people to come find us,” said Jay.
The success of fresh marketing efforts and the H-E-B co-location in Victoria could provide a template for other donor centers in the future, according to James Randle, Senior Director of Donor Services.
The digital monitors at the center are the first to play updated marketing campaigns, and ads running in English and Spanish in the area are part of a strategy to reach Victoria donors, as the need for blood grows in the area.
“Our hospital partners need to be able to provide quality care and high-tech tools and surgical equipment within their environment, and as more medical capabilities come to the area, we need to be able to meet the additional blood demand on those facilities,” Mendoza said.
The new donor center may help boost donations in Victoria, which were among the lowest at any fixed site in 2022. It also should encourage more donors like
Kloppenburg, who currently is leading the competition with her cousin, at 31 gallons and counting.
“It’s so much fun, we were within a gallon or two of each other,” Grace said. “That’s what I tell everybody, just make a challenge with another person and it makes it more fun.” n
Located next to H-E-B Plus, the new Victoria donor center is designed to be inviting.
WE JUST FIT TOGETHER
Three members still on the team in Victoria started on the same day in 2006
For the past 17 years, the backbone of South Texas Blood & Tissue’s Victoria donor center has included Debbie Davila, Christina Garcia and Melissa Tamez.
The three started working as phlebotomists on the same day and have stuck together ever since. Debbie, now the supervisor of the newly relocated Victoria center, does not plan on things changing anytime soon.
“I’m here until I retire, or they give us the boot!” she said with a laugh.
Debbie’s commitment to the mission only increased a few years ago when she found herself on the other side of blood transfusions. She needed two units because of blood loss and extremely low iron. A year after that, she also received convalescent plasma while battling COVID-19.
“I was so out of breath,” Debbie said. “After I received the blood, walking out the hospital and not being out of breath, it was a night-and-day difference.”
The mission has hit close to home for Melissa throughout the years also, but no time more than when her nephew
Debbie Davila and Christina Medellin Garcia show off the new donor center in Victoria.
Melissa Tamez, Debbie Davila and Christina Medellin Garcia all started on June 19, 2006.
severed and lost his arm. He needed 13 units of blood and Melissa said she saw first-hand how Hospital Services and others in the organization worked to get her nephew the units he needed quickly.
“If it hadn’t been for everyone’s best thinking and best working, he probably wouldn’t be with us here,” Melissa said.
Melissa and Christina are both Lead Donor Care Specialists. On her days off at STB&T, Melissa works as a phlebotomist at a hospital in Victoria.
Christina was inspired to work in healthcare because of her son, who was born with Down syndrome, she said. Now, her son is 23 and will stop by the center every now and then to see his mom at work.
“He’ll see the blood units and be like ‘Wow!’” Christina said. "I try to explain to him how much it can help people.”
The three women all agreed that the reason they’ve stayed so long at STB&T is the enjoyment that comes from dealing with donors, including many rewarding patient stories. It helps that the Victoria location also feels like a family of coworkers.
“We’re real tight-knit,” Debbie said. “We’re like a puzzlewe just fit together.”
Debbie says most donors at the Victoria center are regulars, and they all know one another. Donors often ask about Christina, and she is always ready to chat.
“She has that personal touch with donors,” Debbie said. “They come in asking for her all the time.”
The Victoria staff are known for their dedication and commitment to the community. It’s not surprising to see donors come in and greet everyone by name. The organization has been collecting blood in the area, referred to as the Crossroads, since the 1970s.
“They are an amazing group that we have, and I am willing to say our highest performers in regard to their performance metrics and donor feedback,” said James Randle, Senior Director, Donor Services. “They really are an amazing group that believes in our mission and drives it forward every day,” n
Christina Medellin Garcia is a Lead Donor Care Specialist in Victoria.
“They are an amazing group that we have, and I am willing to say our highest performers in regard to their performance metrics and donor feedback,”
James Randle, Senior Director, Donor Services
SANDRA HARADA-MENDEZ: FINDING A FOCUS
After nearly two decades with the organization, Sandra HaradaMendez has found that teamwork is one of the main focuses of her career – a career that began almost by accident.
“I had applied at Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, but I was only looking for a part-time job,” she said.
What started off as a part-time job wound up as a comfortable environment.
“We all work together helping one another,” said Harada-Mendez, who has earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UTSA. “That kind of environment just brings us together: Our team makes it a good working environment.”
Right now, she is working 12hour shifts three to four days per week. But she still finds a way to spend quality time with her family, including her husband and two children, a 12 -year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son.
She knows the constant demand for blood donors, and she makes it clear to her children that the need for blood donations is ongoing. She is confident they will donate to the community when they are of age.
One of her fondest memories of working with the organization came nearly a decade ago, when she brought her daughter to the BBG Egg Hunt.
“Look, she’s throwing candy!” her coworkers exclaimed.
That kind of environment just brings us together: Our team makes it a good working environment.”
“They weren’t offering part-time, so I had to turn it down.
“Then, here, they offered it to me, and it was part-time, so I was able to take it” said the Supervisor/Laboratory in QualTex Lab Services.
Turns out, her at-the-time toddler was popping open the plastic eggs – and since the eggs were all she wanted, she was throwing away the candy. n
Sandra Harada-Mendez always can find time for her family.
Story by students from Our Lady of the Lake University, Technical and Professional Writing class
Mari Salmi, PhD Q & A with
Q: When and how did you start working at GenCure?
A: I’ve worked here since December 2018, and I was the second employee in Process Development for GenCure.
I spent the first 10-15 years of my career in academic research. I was a research associate working at the University of Texas for a while. I decided I was tired of chasing grants, and I wanted to change what I was doing. Process development sounded interesting and fun for someone with a lot of research experience, right?
So I had worked in research, I had worked in research and development. I had discovered things that nobody else knew and that was very exciting. You know, what you hear about industry is that it’s boring and not interesting, but this whole idea of process development - that sounded really exciting to me.
Director of Process Development, GenCure
Q: Can you describe what you do here/ what the Process Development team does?
A: We bring in new clients’ processes, we try them out in our PD lab, and we make them ready for GMP manufacturing.
What I do here has a lot of problem-solving. And so, the problem is not how do you figure this sort of thing out fundamentally to understand how it works. The problem is something different. The problem is something more like, what kind of tests do we need to do on this product to make sure it’s going to meet the specifications?
Q: How many projects are you all working on in Process Development?
A: We have clients in early - like haven’t even started Phase 1 - all the way to a couple of clients who are trying to make sure they can go into commercialization and commercialize their product as a treatment.
I think we’ve got five that we’re working on right now.
Q: What did you want to be as a kid when you grew up?
A: I don’t think I thought of what I wanted to be very much growing up. My dad was a geophysicist, my mom was an English professor, and my family has always really valued education and so I am, I believe, the
fourth generation to get my college degree. I’ve always been interested in science.
I will tell you the honest to God truth is that I started at the University of Texas at 18 as a botany major. So, I ended up with a PhD, working in plant biology. I have this experience that is very cross-disciplinary because of that.
I worked on a satellite project called CubeSat. So, NASA was a coinvestigator on a CubeSat that was launched out of one of the early SpaceX rockets, so I worked with a NASA group to set up a lab for them so they could work with the plants appropriately before they went on the rocket, so that was cool!
Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
A: I like to spend time with my family, travel, and I like to cook. I like to read and to be outdoors. I have three biological kids and one that moved in when she was 16.
I’m on the school board in San Marcos. It’s my second year, so I have one more year in my term.
*Responses have been slightly edited for brevity and clarity. n
Have you visited our Online Diversity Calendar?
Sonja Martinez | Learning & Development Program Manager
BioBridge Global and its subsidiaries realize that we live in an interconnected and global society. For this reason, our organization is committed to the support of diversity and inclusion.
Our diversity is an incredible competitive advantage for BioBridge Global. Because of the rich and varied background of all our team members, we also have the opportunity to become acquainted with many different cultural traditions and religions from all over the world.
How about taking a quick trip to foreign countries and faraway continents, to learn about historical events and cultural celebrations? You can easily do so by visiting the BBG Diversity Calendar, located on the Human Resources page on One BBG.
SUBSIDIARIES:
BBG launching on-site employee health clinic
John Barnes | VP of HR and Learning
BioBridge Global employees soon will be able to seek and receive medical care directly through our new on-site medical clinic.
The clinic, staffed by a medical assistant and a doctor, will open next month and will be located in the Donor Pavilion. The clinic will be run by operated by DirectMed, a direct primary care clinic headquartered in San Antonio.
Regardless of whether you are full or part-time, covered by our health insurance or otherwise, you will be able to visit the clinic just as you would any other primary-care physician. Providers are being identified in Victoria and in the Norcross area.
Employees in states other than Texas and Georgia will be able to visit with the doctor virtually. Services provided by the clinic will be free of charge for all employees.
Teledoc also remains available for employees who are covered by our health insurance. As is the case with all providers, the clinic will operate under HIPAA regulations and all care provided and communication will be strictly confidential.
On-site clinics are uncommon: Only 17% of companies throughout the United States operate an on-site clinic, and the companies that operate on-site clinics are normally very large. BBG leadership cares deeply about the health and well-being of our workforce as demonstrated by opening the clinic.
Watch for more news and a grand opening.
Strategic plan guides employee health care
The health and welfare of BBG employees is of utmost interest in our continued effort to enhance our people-centric culture.
We believe purposeful work supported by flexibility and work/ life integration opportunities, career development and training, financial stability and supportive employee benefits provide the basis of good employee health and well-being in our effort to further BBG’s mission.
Several years ago, we developed a strategic plan with the objective of providing valuable and costeffective health insurance. While there have been headwinds reflective of the increased cost of healthcare, primarily focused on the cost of specialty prescription medications,
we have nonetheless made good progress.
For example, we have had no increase in premiums paid by employees in the last four years, including 2023. In fact, we’ve been able to decrease the cost of employee-and-children coverage and employee- and-family coverage. This compares to a 6% increase for family coverage and a 15% increase for employee-only coverage nationwide year over year.
We also have been successful in providing valuable health care opportunities.
SUBSIDIARIES:
For example, AIMM aids employees by directing them to high-quality providers at reduced costs. ScriptSourcing provides most brand-named and
specialty prescription meds that may have a higher copay at no cost to the employee. It also helps save costs to the plan which helps reduce the overall cost of providing health insurance, thus potentially reducing employee premiums.
Tria provides employees with assistance with their prescription meds to ensure medications are working well together.
Talkspace offers employees the opportunity to discuss mental health and wellness issues through our EAP. All of these third-party providers operate under HIPAA regulations. Communications are strictly confidential.
ScriptSourcing helps with medication costs
Melissa Villarreal | Benefits Coordinator
ScriptSourcing can help you save on your specialty medication. If you are enrolled in our medical insurance, you have access to this mail-order, brand-name medication service at no cost to you.
You and your dependents will pay a $0 copay for brand name maintenance medications that are shipped directly to your home with no shipping or handling costs, or extra out-of-pocket expenses.
Check the ScriptSourcing Medfinder website at www. ScriptSourcing.com/med-finder to see if your medications are available. If you see a check mark in the IPP (International Pharmacy Program) column, the medication is available through ScriptSourcing.
To get started, simply call ScriptSourcing at 410-9028811 and a prescription advocate will be happy to assist with walking you through the enrollment process.
Results are in for the Culture Counter+ survey
Laura Eickhoff | Senior Director of HR & Learning
It takes a large village to foster and support a culture of love and respect. As a matter of fact, it takes our entire team!
Each of us chooses, every day, how we are going to show up at work – which behaviors we are going to model and how we are going to impact the lives of those who work closely with us.
This is why it is so important to complete the brief culture survey that we launch three times a year (in March, July, and November.) The survey results tell us which behaviors we need to practice more often, or more openly, to nurture an environment where team members are engaged and productive.
Thank you to those of you who responded to our latest survey! Your voices are heard, and we are constantly taking steps to address your concerns.
As you remember, there are six types of behaviors that represent the pillars of a team’s culture. These behaviors are: Inclusion, Empathy, Trust, Empowerment, Vulnerability and Forgiveness. What did the last survey tell us?
You told us that, as a company, we do a pretty good job of empowering one another.
We believe in our colleagues’ abilities to solve problems and come up with innovative solutions. Our next-strongest behaviors are, respectively, Inclusion, Empathy and Trust. We are proficient in our ability to listen to our coworkers, to help them when they are in need, and to trust their intentions regardless of outcomes.
As a collective, we can do a bit better in admitting our mistakes (vulnerability) and not holding grudges against others (forgiveness.)
The feedback you share through the survey speaks volumes about how we operate and collaborate as team members and helps us create new learning and development programs to ensure managers and employees communicate more effectively. We will continue monitoring and sharing trends about our team’s ability to model the six pillars of behavior.
Stay tuned for new updates on how your feedback is contributing to the ever-evolving BBG culture. And, please, take the next Culture Counter+ survey!
SUBSIDIARIES:
Read all about it!
“Our own United Way.” Helping Hearts Fund to serve as a cushion for employees facing hardship
Leaders at BioBridge Global have been inspired for years to create our own type of internal United Way assistance for disastrous events like the Texas “snowmageddon” of 2021, hurricanes, and numerous personal tragedies. Thus came the newly established Helping Hearts Fund.
“To me it fits right into our bigger picture of Love as a Business Strategy and our pillars of love and respect,” Richey Wyatt, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, said.
“It’s just one tool in the toolkit of how we can help each other.”
The fund has been created under BioBridge Global to aid its employees in dire financial situations. The Helping Hearts Fund will allow employees to donate to other employees or to request an amount of money from the fund when in devastating circumstances.
“It’s for natural disasters, a death in the family, catastrophic things, not just to help someone pay their bills. Not to minimize the difficulty that people do have for that, but it has to be targeted for catastrophic events and that’s written into our bylaws,” said Wyatt.
The bylaws include parameters for an advisory committee of five to nine members. Susan Smith, John Barnes, and Wyatt are all members
of the committee, in addition to other employees in Human Resources and other business units, including in Atlanta.
Because of the 501(c)3 nonprofit status of the Helping Hearts Fund, the employee donations will not be taxed, and funds will be tax-free for recipients. The other benefit of donating to this fund rather than a GoFundMe or Kickstarter campaign is that BBG already has paid the administrative fees, so 100% of donations will go to those in need, said Barnes, Vice President of HR and Learning.
Tina Boldt, Marty Landon, and Becky Cap were influential in the decision to run with the idea, with Boldt offering her experience with a similar program at KCI in San Antonio.
Situations in which someone could request assistance from the fund may be damage caused by natural disasters, untimely deaths or funeral expenses,
or serious medical complications. Barnes said he hopes this fund can help employees avoid borrowing against their 401(k).
“Being someone who had to borrow against my 401(k) for a devastating catastrophic illness with my daughter, to know that you can get that kind of help, it takes some of that burden off thereby making you more productive at work,” said Smith, Grief Support and Life Legacies Manager.
All donor and recipient information will be anonymous, but it has yet to be decided if the advisory committee will know the identities of those requesting funds. As requests come into HR, the advisory committee will be called to meet to decide if the requester will be granted funding and how much.
“I think of it in terms of, it’s our own internal United Way,” Wyatt said. “As long as BBG is in business and we have our employees, we'll have this fund. We don’t know yet as to how much money will be in it at different times.”
In conjunction with the Helping Hearts Fund and Shared Leave Policy, Human Resources has other resources for employees in need to direct them to other agencies, like Rocket Lawyer for legal aid and United Way for a variety of services. n
Enjoy Safe Scanning!
Don’t let cybercriminals rob you of the convenience of using QR codes. Keep yourself secure by following these tips:
Tap to Open Website:
Use the built-in QR code scanner in your device’s camera app.
If your device doesn’t have a built-in scanner, only download a trusted third-party scanning app from your device’s official app store.
Check for physical tampering before you scan.
Cybercriminals can generate malicious QR codes and print them as stickers to cover up legitimate ones.
Review the link displayed on your device’s scanning app before you click.
Look for spelling errors, misplaced characters, and shortened web addresses, which are signs of a malicious website.
Never enter sensitive information into a website you were directed to by a QR code unless you’re certain the site is legitimate.
Always ask an employee to verify any QR codes posted in or around a business, and never scan QR codes placed in random locations.
Summer is on the way
Replanting day: BBG team members, friends and family members, as well as tissue donor families, helped clean and replant the Legacy Garden.
Toss ‘em straight: Joe LaCourse takes a turn with the corn toss during Non-Field Field Day, the kickoff to Corporate Cup Field Day preparations.
UPCOMING EVENTS
• June 23: Camp Discovery Donation Day
• Aug. 22: BBG Summit
Stepping out: Members of the main campus staff took a stroll around the grounds on the once-delayed National Walking Day.
SUBSIDIARIES:
A successful hunt: Employees and their children gathered at the Donor Pavilion for the annul BBG Egg Hunt.
