ThriveOn Collaboration Welcomes Versiti as Anchor Tenant

Vision for Health Equity Includes New Community Resource Center

Milwaukee – May 24, 2022 – Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin is excited to announce a new community resource and permanent blood donation center on Milwaukee’s North Side within the ThriveOn Collaboration’s ThriveOn King development. Scheduled to open in 2023, the nearly 3,500 square-foot facility at the former Gimbels-Schuster’s building on 2153 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive will serve as a community hub for Versiti, focused on providing resources to address healthcare disparities in Milwaukee neighborhoods and beyond through training and employment, education and blood donation.

“Versiti has proudly been part of the Milwaukee community for 75 years. While we have made great strides to address racial disparities in blood and organ donation, we know there is much work yet to do,” said Chris Miskel, president and CEO of Versiti. “Through advocacy and community outreach, Versiti hopes to further establish itself as a trusted resource and agent of change for the donors and patients we serve.”

As an anchor tenant at the ThriveOn King building, Versiti will bring expertise around:

Employment and Job Skill Training – Versiti is always hiring and recruiting top talent. At the ThriveOn King location, Versiti will provide access to training and development resources for individuals looking to start or advance a career in healthcare.

Job skill training will include phlebotomy training, along with other job preparedness resources, including job fairs, resume writing and interview workshops.

Education – Patients with conditions like sickle cell disease, cancer, lupus or organ failure require frequent blood transfusions. They are more likely to find a match and less likely to have physical reactions to blood or organs donated by donors of the same race. In this space, Versiti will partner with experts from the local community to educate and raise awareness about the importance of donor diversity and its impact on recipients.

Blood Donation – Every day, more than 10,000 patients—from those undergoing long-term transfusion treatments to accident victims—rely on the generosity of blood donors to survive. The percentage of ethnically diverse patients who have a need for rare blood continues to increase. Yet, ethnically diverse blood donors continue to be a very small part of the overall blood donor population nationwide. Providing access to a permanent blood donor center in the community will allow Versiti to reach more donors, ultimately providing a better quality of life for patients who require rare blood.

“Versiti’s commitment to health equity and resources for the community aligns with the dedication of ThriveOn Collaboration to make generational investments in the well-being of Milwaukee communities aimed at eliminating racial, health, economic and social disparities,” said Greg Wesley, co-lead of the ThriveOn Collaboration. “Offering new resources and opportunity to the community, based on their feedback and collaboration, is a key goal coming to fruition.”

Established by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Medical College of Wisconsin and Royal Capital, the community based ThriveOn Collaboration was founded on a joint vision for a Milwaukee that is equitable, healthy and thriving for all.

To learn more about Versiti’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in organization and the communities we serve, visit Versiti.org.