Blood Centers of America merges with Minn. blood-center group

PROVIDENCE – Blood Centers of America Inc. announced Wednesday, April 2, that it has merged with Minneapolis-based GSABC Cooperative Corp., effective April 1.
As one operation, the combined membership of the two independent nonprofit blood-center organizations represents the largest blood-supply network in the U.S., said Blood Centers of America President and CEO Bill Block. As a whole, the merged entity collects and distributes more than 5.4 million blood units annually, exceeding the 4.9 million units collected by the American Red Cross, according to the government’s most recent National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey Report.
With the merger, there are about 60 independent blood centers across the country that support Blood Centers of America, Block said in a phone interview with Providence Business News.
There will be no immediate impact on jobs or changes in the cooperative’s footprint here in Providence, he added.
“We’re taking on most of the GSABC employees, all of which are based in the Minneapolis area,” he said. “We’ll probably be building some additional resources to help our members long-term, but we don’t have plans to hire lots of people right away.”
Though attempts to merge were initiated in 2011, a final agreement was not reached then, but makes sense now, said Stacy Sime, president and CEO of LifeServe Blood Center in Des Moines, Iowa, and board chairwoman of Blood Centers of America.
“The synergies this merger brings to the industry and to our members is significant and will help independent blood centers compete more effectively in a dynamically changing healthcare industry,” said Jerry Haarmann, retiring president of GSABC.
Collection, processing, manufacturing and handling of biologic cells used in life saving cell therapies will be enhanced because of the merger, Block said. Plasma services and supply capabilities for hospitals and other customers will be expanded and client blood management capabilities will be improved using state of the art tools and technologies, he added.

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