The matching grant will join the $25 million already gifted by the foundation to the establishment of the center, which will be called the Marcus National Blood Services Center.With this latest gift from the Marcus Foundation, American Friends of Magen David Adom, MDA’s US-based fundraising affiliate, hopes to quickly raise the remaining funds to match the grant and enable the completion of the $130 million project.
The facility, which will be operated by MDA, will protect blood supplies against missile, chemical and biological attacks. Construction on the site in Ramla is set to be completed in the spring of 2021.
“Israel needs a larger blood facility to meet the requirements of a country that now has a population more than twice what it was when the current facility was built in Ramat Gan in the mid ’80s,” said Catherine Reed, chief development officer of American Friends of MDA. “But more than that, the facility now needs to be reinforced against missile, chemical, and biological attack given the importance of blood transfusions to the health of the nation and the increased military capabilities of Israel’s enemies, including Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.”
Three floors of the six-story facility will be located underground in successively more shielded levels to protect the blood supply and allow MDA employees to continue working even in the case of a rocket attack or other threat.
The country's current blood-services facility is not shielded and, in rocket attacks, staff have to quickly move operations and heavy equipment into a cramped bomb shelter in the basement of the building. “This interrupts blood processing at a time when having an ample blood supply is most crucial, when Israelis are under attack,” said Prof. Eilat Shinar, M.D., deputy director-general and director of Blood Services for MDA.
“Completing this facility on time this spring will ensure we have the capacity to collect and process enough blood for Israel’s future needs,” said Shinar. “It will enable us to introduce cutting-edge technologies to improve both the quality and safety of blood units and components and provide them to all those who need them — to save their lives.
The facility will also ensure that Israel's blood supply will be safe "no matter what challenges befall the country, whether it’s a war or a natural disaster, like the earthquake we know will eventually strike Israel given its location near two geologic faults," said Shinar.
“There are few things more important to Israel’s future than seeing this project to fruition,” added Shinar. “Blood is life.”