SAN DIEGO, May 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) today announces its partnership with recently launched Seqster, a broadly connected digital platform for managing health information. Now, for the first time, blood donors and their families will be able to easily integrate, access, manage, and own all of their available health data in Seqster's private and secure ecosystem through the SDBB RedConnect donor portal.

Building on its national reputation for innovation, SDBB becomes the first blood bank to provide blood donors with the option to see and share an integrated view of all of their health data —including electronic medical records (EMRs); wearables such as Fitbit; and genomics/DNA data from, for example, 23andMe and Ancestry — in one place. Donors will also be given a first-of-its-kind opportunity to place their health data in a legal trust to share with family members and future generations. Additionally, they can choose to share their data on their own terms with researchers by opting in to studies and initiatives to treat and cure illnesses that are important to them. Donors will be able to have their health data deleted from Seqster's secure platform at any time.

"The health of our blood donors is critical to us at SDBB," said Dr. David Wellis, CEO, San Diego Blood Bank. "Blood donors provide local hospitals and patients a precious resource that saves lives. Our objective is to ensure our donors are well taken care of. This includes providing access to the most cutting-edge tools to maintain their own health. Our entire community's wellness is our priority."

The integration of Seqster builds upon a long history of blood donors tracking their health and engaging in wellness opportunities. For example, in 2015, 70 blood donors had the opportunity to have their DNA sequenced, meet with a genetic counselor, and learn how understanding their own genetics could enable better health decisions.

"Many donors already consider blood donation a health event. They track things like cholesterol and blood pressure over the years with our existing wellness portal functionality," added Wellis. "Now they can opt to see all of their health data in one place through RedConnect (donor portal) [a Seqster partner]."

Together, SDBB and Seqster are paving the road for the future of health. While blood donors are giving of themselves to save lives, they now will be able to gain access to integrated information about their own health that may one day provide the key to their own care or give insight to future generations.

Seqster's platform can currently connect to thousands of hospital and medical office EMR systems nationwide, with additional providers coming online daily.

"We are honored that San Diego Blood Bank selected Seqster's platform for their donors and their families," said Ardy Arianpour, CEO and co-founder, Seqster. "We both want to support healthier communities and today we are taking a major step forward. The future of health happens when you empower people to break down data silos and take ownership and control of their health information."

Added Arianpour, "This is a groundbreaking partnership that makes so much sense. We are bringing the definitive EMR, DNA and fitness data ownership and sharing experience to the blood donor community. We're honored to give back to them and we are excited about all the new and expanded ways they can help others through the platform."

Beginning later this year, SDBB will share with blood donors the process and requirements for gaining access to the platform.

About San Diego Blood Bank
SDBB is dedicated to community health by providing a reliable supply of blood to patients in need. Our vision is to further ensure the health of our community by simultaneously delivering related health and wellness education and services and extending into research. SDBB is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit that serves hospitals in San Diego, Orange, Imperial and Los Angeles counties with blood transfusion products and reference laboratory services. SDBB currently operates six local donor centers and 10 bloodmobiles. SDBB's Cell Therapy Program provides lifesaving stem cell transplants to patients worldwide. For more information about SDBB, visit www.SanDiegoBloodBank.org or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Seqster
Seqster, pronounced "seek-ster," enables consumers and their families to access, integrate, manage and own all of their available personal health data in one consolidated digital platform. Seqster's platform currently connects users to thousands of hospital and medical office EMR systems nationwide, with additional providers coming online daily. With Seqster, consumers and their loved ones can coordinate better care through more informed health decisions, contribute to clinical research and access critical family health information for generations to come.

Launched in February 2018, Seqster is privately held and headquartered in San Diego. For more information on Seqster, or if you are someone seeking greater access to your or your loved one's health information, please visit www.seqster.com or follow @Seqster.