NEWS RELEASE

Kerrie Booher ∙ Communications Director

Cell 405-421-3706

Email ∙ kerrie.booher@obi.org

Our Blood Institute Becomes Exclusive Blood Supplier to Hillcrest HealthCare System 

January 8, 2024 ─ Beginning January 1, 2024, Our Blood Institute has become the exclusive blood supplier for the Hillcrest HealthCare System, a 6,500 employee health system that serves the communities of northeastern Oklahoma.

The Hillcrest system is comprised of eight hospitals in Tulsa and the surrounding areas, including Owasso, Claremore, Pryor, Cushing and Henryetta and over 80 regional clinics throughout northeast Oklahoma.

With the addition of the Hillcrest system, OBI, a local nonprofit headquartered in Oklahoma, has boosted its delivery of blood to all corners of Oklahoma, including all hospitals in the Tulsa area.

OBI is the primary blood supplier for the state, exclusively servicing more than 95 percent of Oklahoma’s hospitals, medical facilities, and air ambulances, including other local health systems as Saint Francis, OU Health, SSM St. Anthony, Integris Health and Mercy.

OBI has long been a notable example of the Oklahoma Standard in action, with roots in the state that stretch back almost 50 years. In 1976, it was incorporated as the Oklahoma Blood Institute by a group of local physicians who recognized the need to improve the community’s blood-related health care services.

“We are immensely proud of our local blood collection operations and record of providing top-notch customer service and an adequate blood supply to our partners even during the toughest of times, said Dr. John Armitage, the CEO of Our Blood Institute. “We are sure the Tulsa area and surrounding communities will soon feel the difference it makes when two local organizations like Hillcrest and OBI join together to improve the health of Oklahomans.”

OBI has nine donor centers across Oklahoma – in Ada, Ardmore, central and northwest Oklahoma City, Edmond, Enid, Lawton, Norman and Tulsa – along with a new center in Broken Arrow scheduled to open this spring. OBI relies solely on volunteer donors committed to saving the lives of Oklahomans.

Nearly 150,000 people sought care at Hillcrest last year, including 110,000 emergency room visits. Especially during emergencies, physicians rely on a reliable, accessible blood supply as their first line of defense. The new partnership between OBI and Hillcrest will ensure that local lives are saved by having blood available to meet the ongoing needs of the communities they serve.

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About OBI

Our Blood Institute is the sixth-largest independent blood center in the nation, with 16 donor centers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. OBI is the nonprofit blood provider for patients at more than 240 hospitals, medical facilities, and air ambulances across all three states.

About Hillcrest HealthCare System

In 1918, Hillcrest opened its doors to provide hope, health and healing to our community in a small hospital located in the heart of the city. Today, Hillcrest HealthCare System (HHS) is comprised of eight hospitals including Hillcrest Medical Center, Hillcrest Hospital South and Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital in Tulsa, as well as five regional hospitals, Hillcrest Hospital Claremore, Hillcrest Hospital Cushing, Hillcrest Hospital Henryetta, Hillcrest Hospital Pryor and Bailey Medical Center in Owasso. Hillcrest also provides comprehensive primary and specialty care services through Utica Park Clinic and Oklahoma Heart Institute. To learn more, visit hillcrest.com.