The Blood Center
Headquarters: New Orleans, LA
Region Served: Southeastern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi
Established: 1960
Mission: The Blood Center is a nonprofit serving South Louisiana and Southern Mississippi, dedicated to maintaining a safe blood supply through donations, outreach, and education. With over 200 professionals and mobile drives, it connects donors to patients in need, helping save lives every day.
About: Founded in 1960, The Blood Center is the primary supplier of blood, blood components, and plasma derivatives to local hospitals throughout South Louisiana and parts of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We are a non-profit, community service organization guided by a volunteer Board of Directors, comprised of community leaders and hospital representatives.
Our mission is to provide a quality supply of blood components to meet the needs of the communities served by The Blood Center, and to provide the technical support needed by the blood banking profession to achieve the highest safety and ethical standards.
The Blood Center supplies over 40 hospitals and numerous outpatient transfusion facilities in Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi. Many of these hospitals, including Manning Children’s Hospital in New Orleans, Tulane University Hospital and St. Tammany Parish Hospital, treat patients from throughout this region.
62K+
Annual Blood Donations
35K+
Dedicated Donors
13K+
First Time Donors
40+
hospitals supported
NBC Leadership
Billy Weales, CEO
Billy Weales has dedicated 35 years to The Blood Center, serving as President/CEO since 2006. Originally stepping in as interim CEO for 90 days, he was officially appointed after guiding the organization through its post-Katrina recovery, overcoming severe facility damage and operational challenges.
Billy began his TBC career as a Distribution Tech I, quickly rising through the ranks to Supervisor, Recruitment Manager, Director, and Vice President of Hospital and Community Resources before taking the helm. His leadership has expanded hospital partnerships, diversified revenue streams, improved employee benefits, and advanced TBC’s adoption of new technologies.
With experience spanning donor recruitment, collections, manufacturing, distribution, risk management, and finance, Billy brings a comprehensive understanding of every aspect of the blood banking process. He is also active on several industry boards, advocating for collaboration and innovation in community blood centers nationwide.
From making his own blood donations to championing fundraising and outreach efforts, Billy’s hands-on approach reflects his lifelong commitment to saving lives through blood donation.
The Blood Center
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