Photo caption: George Patchen and his wife, Tracy.

When George Patchen of Washington Township, Northampton County, became a regular blood donor, he never thought his kindness toward others would come full circle. However, in April, after Patchen, 65, had surgery on his prostate at St. Luke’s Hospital’s Anderson Campus, he needed a blood transfusion to ensure his recovery.

Bloodwork had shown his red blood count was low, so Patchen was given two units of blood.

Patchen remained in the hospital longer than he anticipated because of his need for blood. He stayed three nights rather than just the one he thought he would. But all went well, and Patchen is grateful that he was able to get the blood he needed when he needed it without any problem.

Patchen said he had donated not only blood but also platelets regularly for a few years prior to his diagnosis of prostate cancer.

“It was something I could do to help others,” he said. Little did he know that someday soon he was going to be one of who needed the help of other donors like himself.

Having seen both sides of blood donations, Patchen would encourage people “if they are able to donate blood when they can.” Recipients, he said, are very grateful that blood is available for them in their time of need. And donating, he said, is just a matter of giving a little of your time — and blood.

St. Luke’s, a founding member of Miller-Keystone over 50 years ago, continues its unwavering commitment as the only local health care network that identifies MKBC as its primary blood supplier. Without St. Lukes steadfast support for MKBC, the Lehigh Valley could run out of the blood necessary to provide lifesaving care for patients, particularly during a regional or national blood shortage or other crisis.

MKBC has locations in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Reading, the Poconos, Pittston and Ewing, NJ, and holds blood drives at area businesses and other locations.

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites.  With annual net revenue of $3.4 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke’s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.

Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.  In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley’s first and only four-year medical school campus.  It also operates the nation’s oldest School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 52 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 500 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke’s, a member of the Children’s Hospital Association, opened the Lehigh Valley’s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.

SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare’s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.  It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital.  The Network’s flagship University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from Fortune/PINC AI 10 years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY.  In 2021, St. Luke’s was identified as one of the 15 Top Health Systems nationally.  Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.  The Network is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest-cost providers.

Information provided to TVL by:
Sam Kennedy