About Us
The Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization founded in 1951. The Tissue Services division was established in 1985 due to the increasing demand for allograft tissue. The Tissue Center maintains a centrally located tissue graft inventory for area hospitals and surgery centers. Approximately 3,000 tissue grafts are distributed to area hospitals annually for life-saving surgeries. We also work with families throughout Central and South Texas to offer the option of tissue donation. Each year, approximately 300 families consent to tissue donation. The Tissue Center's main facility is located in Austin.
 

Affiliations and Regulations
Ensuring our customers a safe and quality tissue graft is the cornerstone of our organization. In order to ensure a safe product, we have established and adhere to best practice Standard Operating Procedures. In addition, we have maintained accreditation from the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB) since 1986. The Tissue Center complies with the guidelines and regulations set forth by AATB, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) including Good Tissue Practices (GTP), and several other state and local health regulatory agencies.


Staff
The Tissue Center staff includes Certified Tissue Banking Specialists. CTBS certification requires experience in tissue banking and successful examination in all areas of tissue banking including donor and tissue suitability determination, tissue processing, decontamination techniques, quality control, labeling, record-keeping and clinical application of allograft tissue.

Family Service Coordinators receive specialized training and are available around the clock to offer families the option of donation and answer their questions about the donation process. Our coordinators are experienced in end of life decisions and bereavement support. The coordinators follow all donor families for at least one year following the death of their loved one.

Account Management Coordinators develop and maintain relationships with all organizations that play a key role in the tissue donation process.

Surgical Recovery Teams recover tissue following good surgical conscience and the application of aseptic techniques.
 
Tissue Distribution staff maintain a tissue graft inventory and provide those for local hospitals and surgery centers.
 
Quality Control and Quality Assurance departments monitor all Tissue Center processes to ensure the highest tissue quality and safety.
 
Copyright © 2010 The Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas. All rights reserved.