SAN ANTONIO – A groundbreaking initiative is set to transform healthcare accessibility in Texas with the introduction of a big blue bus, the first of its kind designed to bring cutting-edge medical technology directly to those in need.
The mobile leukapheresis center, as it is called, represents a significant advancement in the fight against blood cancers and diseases. Naomi Herrera, the senior manager of clinical leukapheresis services with BBG Advanced Therapies, expressed her enthusiasm: “This beautiful bus that we have here is called the mobile leukapheresis center.”
Leukapheresis is a medical procedure that collects white blood cells, a vital step in creating some of today’s most advanced, life-saving treatments. This service is particularly crucial for patients diagnosed with various forms of blood cancer or blood disorders.
Many individuals requiring this treatment live hundreds of miles away from existing leukapheresis centers in Texas. In response to this challenge, BBG Advanced Therapies, a subsidiary of BioBridge Global, designed this mobile unit to eliminate barriers to access. “It’s going to change health care access, especially for rural and underserved communities out there,” Herrera noted, emphasizing the need for such services.
The bus holds special significance for Herrera, whose daughter, Taylor Castro, faced her own battle with acute myeloid leukemia. “She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia,” Herrera shared, reflecting on the struggle they endured. “We did have to send her to a different city to have some types of treatment done… She was gone for a month.”
Tragically, Castro, a young mother, passed away from the disease in 2019. Herrera expressed her belief that had this mobile center been available during her daughter’s treatment, it could have made a difference: “If we had this at that time, I feel that we would’ve had that extra month, and maybe she would have gotten treatments a lot sooner.”
This initiative is not just a project for Herrera; it is a personal mission. “Oh, I know it is,” she affirmed. “And that is our fight to help change stories for the better.”
Already, collections have commenced in San Antonio, with plans to take the mobile leukapheresis center on the road soon, ensuring that more patients can access the treatments they desperately need.
For those interested in learning more about this innovative program, click here.
