On June 26, 2024, two lives were in the hands of a St. Luke’s care team.

Kiya Cook, pregnant with her first child, was experiencing flu-like symptoms. In fear of her worsening condition, she checked into the emergency room at St. Lukes Upper Bucks Campus.

After a blood draw, the root of the issue was quickly diagnosed: anemia caused by HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count). This is a rare and severe pregnancy complication.

Remarkably, a blood transfusion, necessary to save the lives of both Kiya and her unborn baby, was able to be administered within a mere 30 minutes of detecting this complication. The care team’s quick response was possible thanks to Miller-Keystone Blood Center (MKBC), which provided the lifesaving resources for this urgent situation.

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.

After another blood transfusion and c-section, a beautiful baby boy was brought into this world. This joyous relief for Kiya and her family was followed with the news that both she and her son have Upshaw-Schulman Syndrome, a genetic issue that may require long term transfusions. Though they have a long journey ahead of them, Kiya can be confident – thanks to Miller-Keystone Blood Center – that she and her son will always have access to the blood they need.

Kiya, grateful for the safe delivery of her son, wants to emphasize that whether you know it or not, “when you donate blood, you save lives.” The Miller-Keystone Blood Center serves the Valley to fulfil this altruistic goal, and by donating blood, you can too.

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