History
The year 1945 brought with it the end of World War II and the beginning of Spokane’s first and only community-based, not-for-profit blood provider. Throughout the past sixty-plus years, many transitions ensued for INBC as the needs of its service area changed and medical technology continued to advance. What started out as a small community blood bank has since evolved into a full service blood center, providing blood related products and services to a regional population which has grown to nearly one million residents.
Fernwell Building in
downtown Spokane, WA |
- September 30, 1945 - The official opening of the Spokane Community Blood Bank takes place housed on the fifth floor of the historic Fernwell Building in downtown Spokane.
- 1948 - The growing blood bank moves to the American Legion Building on the corner of Riverside and Washington. The Group Credit Plan and the "One" Gallon Club are formed for established donors.
- 1952 - The first Mobile Donor Van is outfitted and put out on the road to collect blood in outlying areas.
- 1953 - Construction begins on the new location for the blood bank at 507 South Washington Street.
- 1956 – Name changes to the Spokane and Inland Empire Blood Bank.
- 1974 - The first “self-contained” mobile donor vehicle arrives enabling the blood bank to increase collections within the community.
- 1979 - The first Apheresis machine was available to reduce plasma volume, remove abnormal constituents, and then return the patient’s own blood in a two hour procedure.
- 1987 - The blood bank becomes one of 57 facilities participating in a national bone marrow registry established under a grant from the U.S. Navy.
- 1992 - The Spokane and Inland Empire Blood Bank changes its name to the Inland Northwest Blood Center to better reflect the organization’s expanded services and service area.
- 1998 - INBC opens its first satellite collection center in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
- 2002 - A community Grand Opening celebration takes place for the new 58,000 square foot Regional Headquarters facility in Spokane. INBC wins the AGORA Award for business excellence from the Spokane Chamber of Commerce in the not-for-profit category.
- 2003 - Life Saver 1, the newly designed mobile donor collection bus featuring patient, donor, and volunteer pictures on its exterior, draws the first donor.
- 2004 - INBC opens a new satellite collection center in Lewiston, Idaho in support of the Lewis-Clark Valley.
- 2005 – INBC celebrates it 60 year anniversary as your community blood provider.
- 2007 – INBC becomes the proud supplier of blood products and services to Palouse region hospitals in Pullman, WA, Colfax, WA, and Moscow, ID.
