Miller‑Keystone Blood Center marked the grand reopening of its renovated Reading Donor Center, unveiling a brighter, more spacious facility that leaders say strengthens the region’s blood‑supply lifeline.
The ribbon‑cutting Monday drew donors, staff, community leaders and elected officials to the center at 2745A Leiscz’s Bridge Road in Bern Township, where Rami Nemeh, center president and CEO, said the upgrades represent far more than cosmetic improvements.
“It renews our commitment to the community that we serve,” he said.
Rami Nemeh, president and CEO of the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, speaks during the grand reopening of the center at 2744A Leisczs Bridge Road, Bern Township, on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Make no mistake, Nemeh said, the blood center’s mission saves lives.
“What we did here, ” he said, “is to make sure that we have a space for our staff to do what they do best. And to have a safe space for our donors every time they walk in to donate the blood and save lives.”
The project reconfigured donor and administrative areas, added donor chairs, installed energy‑efficient LED lighting and updated ADA‑compliant restrooms. Staff members said the changes have transformed the atmosphere.
Rami Nemeh, president and CEO of the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, speaks during the grand reopening of the center at 2744A Leisczs Bridge Road, Bern Township, on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Tamara West, an automated collection monitor who has worked at the site since shortly after 9/11, said the center now feels less closed off. She noted that donors have formed friendships with other donors, and the new setup makes it easier to carry on conversations
“The environment is just more pleasant and spacious, bright,” she said. “You come in here, it’s like alive. It feels good to be here. We finally got the perfect space.”
The Reading Donor Center is one of six fixed‑site locations operated by Miller Keystone, which also runs more than 1,000 mobile blood drives annually. Together, they collect roughly 350 donations per day to supply hospitals across eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey.
Nemeh emphasized the stakes, pointing to a nationwide blood shortage and a recent case in a neighboring state where a woman with anemia was denied a transfusion because a hospital was conserving blood for emergencies.
“I’m sure you don’t want your neighbor to be in that situation,” he said. “You don’t want your kids to be in that situation. And of course, you don’t need yourself to be in that situation. But this is reality.”
Miller Keystone serves hospitals across 18 Pennsylvania counties.
Dr. Thomas A. Geng Jr., chairman of surgery and trauma at Reading Hospital and an Miller Keystone board member, said the renovated center will directly support patient care.
Tower Health trauma surgeon Dr. Thomas Geng Jr., chief medical officer at Reading Hospital, speaks during the grand reopening of the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, 2744A Leisczs Bridge Road, Bern Township, on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
He recalled treating a critical trauma patient just days earlier who required multiple units of whole blood, packed red cells and platelets.
“Every time I have a bleeding trauma patient come in, I see the benefit of the wonderful generosity of our donors,” Geng said.
He also praised hospital staff who recently filled two emergency mobile blood drives within hours.
Among those attending Monday’s event was Mark Reimert, 73, who is just three donations shy of reaching 150 gallons. Reimert donates platelets every two weeks — up to the annual maximum of 24 times — because they help more patients.
Mark Reimert, who is approaching 150 gallons of blood and blood products donated, watches during the grand reopening of the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, 2744A Leisczs Bridge Road, Bern Township, on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
“Whole blood you can donate every eight weeks,” he said. “It helps up to three patients. Platelets, you can donate every eight days, and it helps up to eight patients. So I’m helping more people.”
Reimert, a former mobile unit associate who once drove Miller Keystone vehicles to blood drive sites, likes the new look.
“It’s much nicer,” he said. “It’s much more well-lit. It’s more airy,”
A call to donate
Nemeh urged attendees to encourage friends, neighbors and students to donate, noting that a single hour every eight weeks can help save multiple lives.
“You will be impacting families every time you donate blood,” he said. “Every time you donate blood, you’re impacting a human being, there’s a cancer patient waiting for that blood, there’s a trauma patient waiting for the blood, there’s a premature baby waiting.”
For information on donating, go to giveapint.org/.