Armed Services Blood Program Readiness
Abstract
This audit is the first in a series of audits concerning the Armed Services Blood Program. The Armed Services Blood Program mission is to provide quality fresh and frozen blood products, blood substitutes, and services for all worldwide customers in peacetime and war. In FY 1999, blood program costs, including personnel, operations and maintenance, and testing were $26.7 million. The Armed Services Blood Program consists of 11 categories of activities, including the Armed Services Blood Program Office, Military Department blood program offices, unified command blood program offices, blood program organizations within the Military Departments, and military treatment facilities. Each of these activities is critical to the successful collection, storage, and distribution of blood products. The frozen blood program was established to allow prepositioning of frozen blood products within unified commands and aboard ship. Pre-positioned repositories provide blood products during the initial stages of a contingency operation or war until liquid products can be supplied from the continental United States. Frozen red blood cells have a Food and Drug Administration-approved shelf life of 10 years. However, frozen red blood cells have a DoD-approved shelf life of up to 21 years for readiness purposes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 23, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA387694
Entities
People
- Betsy Brilliant
- Carol N. Gorman
- Michael A. Joseph
- R. T. Briggs
- Shelton R. Young
Organizations
- Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense