Blood Banks Consider Merger
Friday, November 19, 2010
By: Tom Parkinson

November 19, 2010 | WMFE - Three of Florida's major blood banks might consolidate into one organization. Executives at Orlando-based Florida's Blood Centers are discussing a merger with blood banks in Tampa and Miami.

If the merger is finalized, the new organization would provide donated blood in Central Florida, the Tampa Bay area and Southeast Florida.  The new, statewide blood bank would also reach donors and providers in the Florida Panhandle and parts of Southern Georgia.
Rick Walsh, Chairman of Florida's Blood Centers in Orlando, said the consolidation would mean blood could be transferred more easily around the region.
“The potential merger, we believe, would make our blood supply much more reliable in emergency situations such as hurricanes.” Walsh said, “It’s also going to increase the effectiveness of our donor outreach.”
The organizations will iron out the details of a possible merger over the next several months. One of the issues they’ll be discussing is how the move might affect the amount of money hospitals pay for donated blood.