OneBlood, Inc., the not-for-profit blood center serving most of Florida and parts of South Georgia and Alabama, and The Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Inc., the not-for-profit blood center and transfusion services management organization operating in Pittsburgh, Chicago, Virginia and parts of Ohio and West Virginia, announced that they have entered into an agreement to pursue a merger of the two organizations.
“The landscape of the blood industry is shifting and it demands a progressive and forward-thinking approach to ensure safe, available and affordable blood for our hospital partners and their patients,” said Don Doddridge, OneBlood chief executive officer.
“By combining the resources of two industry leading blood centers we can further strengthen the blood supply, especially in times of natural disasters such as hurricanes in the south and winter storms in the north, while at the same time create operational efficiencies that bring additional value to our healthcare partners and our blood donors,” Doddridge said.
“We have entered a new era of blood banking. Hospital consolidation continues to occur and medical facilities need larger scale blood centers to serve multiple locations in broader service regions. As their partner, we must do our part to help ensure the blood is available when and where it is needed while assisting the industry in its efforts to control healthcare costs,” said Jim Covert, ITM chief executive officer.
“Keeping pace with the changing times is not enough. As stewards of the blood supply and trusted community assets we must take proactive and innovative measures now so we are able to meet the blood needs of the future,” Covert said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: OneBlood to merge with The Institute for Transfusion Medicine