Blood Centers Announce Merger

Further Ensuring Safe, Available and Affordable Blood

(July 30, 2015, Orlando, Florida)  Two of Florida’s independent, not-for-profit blood centers, OneBlood, Inc., and The Blood Alliance, Inc., will merge effective July 31st.  The newly formed organization will distribute more than one million blood products annually, serve over 210 hospitals throughout most of Florida, parts of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina and employ more than 2,400 people.

“The landscape of the blood industry is rapidly changing and it demands that we continue to evolve and diversify to meet the needs of our hospital partners and their patients,” said Don Doddridge, President and Chief Executive Officer of OneBlood. “We are confident that the merger will have a positive impact in further defining the new template for the future of our industry and ensuring our communities have a progressive, forward-thinking local blood center that is here to serve for years to come,” said Doddridge.

More stringent transfusion protocols, health care reform and advances in medical science are all helping shape a new era of blood banking.

“Bringing the two organizations together is the right thing to do for our communities,” said Dr. Marsha Bertholf, Medical Director of The Blood Alliance. “We can no longer rely on the business models of the past to take us where we need to go in the future.  Hospitals want larger scale blood centers to serve their multiple locations and the merger will allow us to accommodate their needs and still keep the hometown connection,” said Bertholf.

In addition to mitigating cost to hospitals and patients, the merger is expected to bring additional operational efficiencies and further stabilize the blood supply, especially in times of natural disasters such as hurricanes and enhance donor outreach initiatives.

OneBlood CEO, Don Doddridge, who began his blood banking career in Jacksonville, will lead the newly merged organization and an 11 member board of directors will provide oversight, governance and guidance.

Integration of the two organizations will begin immediately.  In addition, The Blood Alliance will undergo a rebranding phase in the coming months and transition to the OneBlood brand.

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