FACT Celebrates
10th Anniversary
The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy is 10 years old. To commemorate the anniversary, a plaque is being installed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center where the FACT Accreditation Office was organized and has been operating for the past 10 years.
FACT is the non-profit voluntary foundation for standard-setting, self-assessment, inspection and accreditation in all phases of hematopoietic collection, processing and transplantation. It is jointly sponsored by ASBMT and the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT).
The FACT Board of Directors held a strategic planning retreat last month in Omaha to review recent accomplishments and develop a three-year plan with a goal of accrediting all eligible transplant programs in the United States. About 92 percent of eligible programs are currently either FACT-accredited or have applied and are in the process of accreditation.
During the retreat, the Board members took time to assemble for an unveiling of a commemorative plaque that is being placed in the university’s Lied Transplant Center building. Representing FACT’s two corporate parents for the unveiling were Dr. Helen Heslop, ASBMT vice president, and Dr. Carolyn Taylor, ISCT secretary.
Dr. Carolyn Taylor (left) and Dr. Helen Heslop unveil a plaque commemoranting
the founding of FACT in 1996 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Dr. Fred LeMaistre, FACT president, told the group of 30 people attending the ceremony that the credit for FACT’s success really belongs to the 150 transplant programs that have attained accreditation, demonstrating that they accept nothing less than the highest quality standards for their patients. He also commended the current and past Board members and staff, who is said have a strong commitment to quality for patients and are passionate.
“We also treasure the long-standing relationship with the university. Without that support, especially in the earlier years, I don't know if we would have made it," Dr. LeMaistre said.
Dr. Phyllis Warkentin, FACT Medical Director and a member of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) faculty, said that FACT was launched with the idea of ensuring the best patient outcomes possible in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. "FACT created the world’s first quality standards and voluntary inspection and accreditation program for the safe collection, processing and clinical administration of peripheral blood stem cells, bone marrow cells or cells from umbilical cord blood for use in cancer transplantation and treatment of other diseases,” she said.
She thanked FACT board members, volunteers and staff, as well as UNMC leaders, for supporting FACT in tireless efforts to make a difference in quality standards in transplantation.