Blood Assurance, Warren County’s sole provider of blood and blood products, celebrated 40 years of service last week. Since 1972, more than 1 million blood components have been given by local donors and processed by the regional blood center. The need for a community blood center was discussed in the late 1960s as smaller hospitals struggled to keep adequate supplies available.On June 1, 1972, the first Blood Assurance donor gave blood at Erlanger Medical Center.