AABB AND BAXTER SPONSOR FIRST ANNUAL BLOOD COLLECTORS WEEK

Blood Centers Nationwide Encourage Community Members To Show Support by Donating Blood

DEERFIELD, Ill. and BETHESDA, Md., September 15, 2005 Beginning Sunday, September 18, more than 140 blood collection centers across the country will celebrate the inaugural Blood Collectors Week, sponsored by AABB and Baxter Healthcare Corporation. This annual recognition week acknowledges the critical role blood collectors serve in helping to ensure blood is available to patients in need.

The blood collection and transfusion medicine community appreciates the care and concern blood collection staff provide to volunteer donors on a daily basis, said Karen Shoos Lipton, chief executive officer of AABB. The commitment and dedication these professionals display help our community to ensure that blood is readily available whenever and wherever it is needed.

According to AABB, about 29 million units of blood components are transfused annually in the United States. These units of blood are needed to treat patients with cancer and other diseases, for organ transplant recipients, and to save the lives of accident and trauma victims.

During this week-long celebration, community members are encouraged to show their support for those involved with this honorable profession by making a blood donation and helping blood collectors meet local blood supply needs. To schedule a blood donation, or learn more about this important effort, individuals are asked to contact their local blood center. To donate blood, one must be healthy, and meet age, weight and other donor requirements.

All individuals who support blood collection are making an important contribution to the health and well-being of our local and national communities by helping to ensure blood is available to patients in need, said Kevin McCulloch, general manager for Baxters Transfusion Therapies business. Blood Collectors Week is a tribute to this vital profession and we are proud to join with AABB and blood centers nationwide to honor these individuals.

Blood collection staff help facilitate either a whole blood or apheresis donation. In a whole blood donation, a pint of blood is collected and then divided into its therapeutic components for transfusion. With an apheresis donation, a donor gives a specific therapeutic component platelets, plasma or red blood cells. Red blood cells represent the blood component in highest demand with about 14 million units transfused annually.

About AABB
Established in 1947, AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks) is an international, not-for-profit association dedicated to the advancement of science and the practice of transfusion medicine and related biological therapies. The association is committed to improving health by developing and delivering standards, accreditation and educational programs and services that optimize patient and donor care and safety. AABB membership consists of approximately 1,800 institutions and 8,000 individuals, including physicians, scientists, administrators, medical technologists, nurses, researchers, blood donor recruiters and public relations personnel. Members are located in all 50 states and 80 countries.

About Baxter
Baxters Transfusion Therapies division offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for the collection and processing of blood. For more than 60 years, Baxters medical advances have helped shape the practice of blood transfusion therapy.
Baxter Healthcare Corporation is the principal U.S. operating subsidiary of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE: BAX). Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, assists health-care professionals and their patients with the treatment of complex medical conditions, including cancer, hemophilia, immune disorders, kidney disease and trauma. The company applies its expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to make a meaningful difference in patients' lives. For more information about Baxter, please visit www.baxter.com.

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