South Texas Blood & Tissue Center to Get a New CEO

2010 #1 January 8, 2010 

INSIDE: 

Our Space: Five for 2010 

(and Beyond) ................ 2 

Florida Senate Issues 

Report on Community 

Blood Centers ............... 3 

Blood Bank Data 

Exchanges Part of 

‘Meaningful Use’ of 

Health IT, But Stimulus 

Act Funding Seems Only 

for Medicare, Medicaid 

Billers So Far ................ 4 

ABC’s Foundation Board 

Welcomes Newest 

Members ...................... 6 

Qualtex Laboratories Will 

Get a New Leader in 

Norman Kalmin, MD ..... 7 

Study: Presence of Strep 

Pneumonia Can Indicate 

H1N1 Infection Severity 8 

Studies Investigate the 

Link between Virus and 

Chronic Fatigue 

Syndrome ..................... 9 

New Guidelines Address 

Red Blood Cell 

Transfusions ............... 11 

Thank a Donor Web Site 

Connects Blood Donors 

and Recipients ............ 15 

HHS Official Recognizes 

National Blood Donor 

Month, Encourages 

Donations ................... 15 

South Texas Blood & Tissue Center to Get a New CEO 

The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) on 

Wednesday announced that Kevin Land, MD, will 

take over as the center’s President/CEO and Medical 

Director on July 1. Norman Kalmin, MD, will move 

from that position at STBTC to a similar role at Qualtex 

Laboratories (see related story, page 7). 

Dr. Land is currently the chief medical and scientific 

officer at Bonfils Blood Center in Denver, Colo. 

In a STBTC’s announcement of Dr. Land’s move, Dr. 

Anthony Infante, chair of the center’s Board of Directors, 

praised him as bringing “a wealth of experience” 

to the center. He added that “Dr. Land’s clinical interests 

in transfusion medicine, cellular therapies, education, and patient safety are 

critical skills to bring to STBTC as the center continues growing to meet the needs 

of South Texas and the state. He is an excellent fit for STBTC as we move into 

this new era.” 

For his part, Dr. Land called STBTC “one of the premier centers for innovation 

in blood collection and services,” and he said that he “look[s] forward to 

joining an already highly-skilled team.” He also praised his predecessor: “It 

is an honor to be following such a distinguished leader in transfusion medicine 

as Dr. Norman Kalmin.” 

His move to STBTC, which is headquartered in San Antonio, will be a sort of 

homecoming for him: he is a Texas native who earned his bachelor’s degree in 

biochemistry from the University of North Texas in Denton, completed his medical 

degree at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and 

fulfilled his residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at Parkland Memorial 

Hospital in Dallas. 

He moved to Maryland for a fellowship in medical informatics at Johns 

Hopkins University in Baltimore, but he returned to Dallas for a fellowship 

in transfusion medicine at Parkland and Carter BloodCare. 

Dr. Land’s next positions were as medical director of Blood Systems Laboratory 

in Bedford and medical director of laboratory services for Carter. He also served 

(continued on page 7)

ABC Newsletter -2- January 8, 2010 

OUR SPACE 

By ABC CEO Jim MacPherson 

Five for 2010 (and Beyond) 

The last issue of the ABC Newsletter featured the Top 10 Stories of 2009. With the New Year we present more 

forward-looking trends. 

1. After a decade of shortages from mad cow and malaria deferrals and many millions invested in donor 

recruitment, the US blood supply is its most robust in decades. That’s good for patients and disaster preparedness, 

but hard on centers whose business model includes exporting blood to centers that could not 

meet their own needs. The current condition may be temporary, because in the long term, the future is increased 

blood use by aging boomers, especially for aggressive cancer therapy. Also, increased health 

insurance likely means more elective surgeries. 

2. At a time when blood centers have never been leaner and blood center margins are the lowest in a decade, 

a good supply is spawning competition for donors and hospitals. For threatened blood programs, it is 

about survival and maybe relevance. For hospitals, it is about short-term savings. Competition makes 

community blood suppliers look more nationally for markets and partners. 

3. For many, value-added service is an antidote to competition. Part of it involves hospitals outsourcing 

supply-chain functions to blood centers and part involves blood centers providing hospitals unique and 

cost-effective services that hospitals would be hard pressed to provide for themselves. The list is long, 

starting with a ubiquitous blood supply, and it now includes managing hospital blood inventories and 

usage. Value-added service begins when mutually dependant entities recognize that hospitals are all about 

patient care and blood centers are all about blood. 

4. Blood safety is now presumed; the argument shifts to what adds value. Call it the “Chagas effect” (spending 

$100 million annually with an unknown benefit), but leukoreduction costs three times as much, still 

with no defined benefit. Lots of good discussion right now on the cost-benefit balance, but no answers yet. 

5. Finally, in building the best-next-HIV-mousetrap, regulation is now the biggest barrier to innovation and, 

ironically, blood safety. FDA is not the problem – it is merely a reflection of a risk-adverse society – but it 

also is not the solution. 

Happy New Year! 

Jmacpherson@americasblood.org 

The ABC Newsletter (ISSN #1092-0412) is published 46 times a 

year by America’s Blood Centers® and distributed by e-mail. 

Contents and views expressed are not official statements of ABC 

or its Board of Directors. Copyright 2010 by America’s Blood 

Centers. Reproduction of the ABC Newsletter is forbidden unless 

permission is granted by the publisher. (ABC members need not 

obtain prior permission if proper credit is given.) 

ABC is an association of not-for-profit, independent community 

blood centers that helps its members provide excellence in 

transfusion medicine and related health services. ABC provides 

leadership in donor advocacy, education, national policy, quality, 

and safety; in finding efficiencies for the benefit of donors, 

patients, and healthcare facilities; by encouraging collaboration 

among blood organizations; and by acting as a forum for sharing 

information and best practices. 

America’s Blood Centers 

President: Thomas Schallert 

Chief Executive Officer: Jim MacPherson 

ABC Newsletter Editor: Robert Kapler 

Managing Editor: Anne Carroll, PhD 

Classified Advertising Manager: Deanna Du Lac 

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Florida Senate Issues Report on Community Blood Centers 

The Florida Senate last month issued a report on blood bank regulation and activities in that state. The 15- 

page report details the results of a Senate review that followed a series of newspaper articles about board 

activities, CEO compensation, and donor incentives at the second- and third-largest blood centers in the 

state: Florida’s Blood Centers and Community Blood Centers of South Florida. 

As part of the review, staff from the Senate Committee on Health Regulation looked at market competition 

between blood banks and the factors that play into blood component pricing, “from the perspective of 

safeguarding the public health and minimizing the opportunities for fraudulent or harmful activities in this 

industry.” It also addressed CEO compensation, donor incentives (including scholarship programs), resource 

sharing, corporate governance, and issues related to blood centers’ role as drug wholesalers. 

Senate staff gleaned much of the information from interviews with blood center officials and survey questionnaires 

submitted to blood centers across the state. America’s Blood Centers was among the 

organizations contacted as part of the review process. 

While the report concludes that the community blood center model works to provide an 

adequate supply of safe blood in Florida, it suggests that “the industry in Florida would 

be well served” by improving competition and monitoring “corporate complacency with 

respect to organizational activities and expenditures.” 

There are six not-for-profit corporations operating community blood centers in Florida: Community 

Blood Centers of South Florida, based in Lauderhill; Florida Blood Services, based in St. Petersburg; 

Florida’s Blood Centers, based in Orlando; LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, based in Gainesville; 

Suncoast Communities Blood Bank, based in Sarasota; and The Blood Alliance, based in Jacksonville. 

One for-profit corporation, United States Blood Bank (USBB), is headquartered in Miami. Although the 

American Red Cross does not collect donations in Florida, it does provide blood products to some healthcare 

facilities in the state. 

The report details total revenues and net assets for all of the not-for-profit blood centers and addresses 

competitive pressures between centers. According to the report, 11 counties in the state have competing 

community blood centers. “The community blood center industry in Florida has experienced a history of 

consolidation that has tended to more narrowly define operational territories and reduce competition,” the 

report says. 

Senate staff recommends that the Florida Legislature pass laws to: 

 

 

 

Prohibit public agencies from restricting access to or use of public facilities or infrastructure 

based on the tax status of the community blood center (Editor’s note: This recommendation apparently 

stems from a situation in which USBB was notified by the Miami Parking Authority that 

meter rentals for blood mobiles will only be granted to non-profit companies); 

Prohibit a blood center from using the tax status of a hospital or other healthcare facility as the 

sole factor when determining the price at which it offers to sell or sells blood or blood components 

to the entity; and 

Address the “statutory obstacle” that prohibits a community blood center, because it is a healthcare 

entity, from maintaining licensure as a prescription drug wholesale distributor and engaging 

in the wholesale distribution of a prescription drug. “Florida’s laws should authorize the purchase 

and distribution of prescription drugs necessary for the safe delivery of healthcare services traditionally 

performed by community blood centers,” the report asserts. 



Florida Senate Report (continued from page 3) 

Among the report’s other recommendations is that community blood centers improve transparency concerning 

blood collection and distribution activities, which will increase public trust and “may help boost 

and maintain the level of voluntary donations, especially during traditionally low collection periods.” 

The report recommends that each blood center post disclosures in its facility or on its Web site that describe: 

 

 

 

 

Where the blood center distributes the blood it collects, such as to other states or regions, and its 

resource sharing activities with other blood centers that experience blood shortages; 

Blood center policies for related-party transactions and self-dealing. Those blood centers that 

have not amended related-party transactions should amend bylaws and other official documents 

addressing ethics and conflict of interest policies to require a competitive selection process prior 

to board approval of a related-party transaction; 

The identity of the members of the Board of Directors and the compensation of officers, directors, 

and key employees, and how to access that information on a timely basis. Blood centers should 

provide for a maximum length of service for a board member; and 

The process and costs involved in collecting, processing, and distributing donated blood, as well 

as the processing fees the community blood center charges to hospitals and other healthcare providers. 

A bill submitted to the Florida House of Representatives by Rep. John Tobia (R-District 31) last month 

would require blood centers in the state to submit annual financial reports, as well as information about 

the supply, sources, cost, pricing, and destination of blood products (see ABC Newsletter, 12/18/09). A 

Senate hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13. 

This full report, “The Florida Senate: Review of the Regulation of Blood Banks,” is available at: 

www.flsenate.gov/data/Publications/2010/Senate/reports/interim_reports/pdf/2010-119hr.pdf. 

Blood Bank Data Exchanges Part of ‘Meaningful Use’ of Health IT, But Stimulus 

Act Funding Seems Only for Medicare, Medicaid Billers So Far 

Last week, two offices of the federal government released sets of federal regulations, together numbering 

nearly 700 pages, to implement the health information technology (HIT) section of the American Recovery 

and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), better known as the Stimulus Act. 

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Dec. 30 issued a 532-page proposed rule 

listing the criteria that healthcare providers – eligible recipients at this point appear to be limited to Medicare 

and Medicaid billers – must meet to qualify for federal IT incentive funding based on how they use 

their electronic health records (EHRs). The same day, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health 

Information Technology (ONC) issued an interim final rule laying out an initial set of standards and certification 

criteria for users to obtain those subsidies. ONC will also issue a notice of proposed rulemaking 

on the process for organizations to conduct the certification of EHR technology. 

America’s Blood Centers (ABC) successfully advocated for healthcare provider status for blood banks in 

the legislative language of Title XIII of ARRA, but its members have been stymied in their efforts to find 

a clear funding stream for IT projects at either the federal or state level. 



Meaningful Use Regulations (continued from page 4) 

CMS’s proposed rule makes no mention of blood centers. And while ONC’s interim final rule does mention 

the exchange of data between hospitals and “blood banks” as part of the certification criteria used to 

support an eligible hospital’s claim for incentive payments to support its “meaningful use” of HIT, it still 

does not provide a clear pathway to ARRA funding for blood centers. 

CMS’s proposed rule is subject to a 60-day public comment period, after which HHS will issue final regulations. 

ONC’s EHR certification regulations take effect in 30 days; its comment period starts now and 

runs for 60 days. Final regulations will be published in 2010. 

ABC will file comments urging ONC and CMS to add language to the regulations that would enable 

blood centers to qualify for EHR incentive funding and other funding sources specified in Title XIII. 

ARRA, enacted Feb. 17, 2009, includes many measures intended to “modernize our nation’s infrastructure, 

enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, provide tax relief, and preserve and 

improve affordable healthcare.” 

Under the proposed meaningful use rules, eligible healthcare providers must use their 

EHRs to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare services; reduce healthcare 

disparities; engage patients and their families; improve the coordination of care; 

improve population and public health; and ensure the privacy and security of personal 

medical information. 

Title IV of Division B of ARRA amends Titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to establish 

incentive payments to eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals to promote the adoption and 

meaningful use of interoperable HIT and qualified EHRs. These provisions, together with Title XIII of 

Division A of ARRA, are contained in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical 

Health Act (HITECH Act). 

The HITECH Act creates incentives in the Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS), Medicare Advantage (MA), 

and Medicaid programs for demonstrating meaningful EHR use and payment adjustments in the Medicare 

FFS and MA programs for not demonstrating meaningful EHR use. The HITECH Act appropriates $2 

billion to the ONC and codifies the duties of the national coordinator, with the stated goal of “the utilization 

of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014.” 

Section 13101 of the HITECH Act defines “certified EHR technology” as a qualified EHR that has been 

properly certified as meeting standards adopted under section 3004 of the Public Health Service Act. 

CMS and ONC say they “have been working closely to ensure that the definition of meaningful use of 

certified EHR technology and the standards for certified EHR technology are coordinated.” “Meaningful 

use” is a term to be ultimately defined by CMS and describes the use of HIT that furthers the goals of 

information exchange among healthcare professionals. 

In the upcoming interim final rule, ONC will identify the initial set of standards and implementation specifications 

that EHR technology must follow, as well as the criteria that will be used to certify EHR 

technology. A related proposed rule calls for the development of a certification program for health IT. 

“[W]e have sought to ensure that the definition of meaningful use of certified EHR technology does not 

require EPs and eligible hospitals to perform functionalities for which standards have not been recognized 

or established,” CMS said in its proposed rule. 

CMS’s proposed rule is available at www.modernhealthcare.com/assets/pdf/CH680921230.PDF. ONC’s 

interim final rule is available at www.modernhealthcare.com/assets/pdf/CH680931230.PDF.


ABC’s Foundation Board Welcomes Newest Members 

The Foundation for America’s Blood Centers (FABC) announced this week that Bart Fisher, PhD, and 

Patrick Hughes have joined its Board of Directors. The two men, among their other accomplishments, are 

co-founders of the Give Life Foundation, which has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading blood 

advocacy groups and has partnered with the American Red Cross, ABC, AABB, and America Online to 

raise national awareness for blood, tissue, and organ donation. 

Dr. Fisher is managing partner of the Law Office of Bart S. Fisher in Washington, 

DC. As principal of that firm, he has represented governments, corporations, and 

associations. He has worked on environmental and healthcare issues. His experience 

in healthcare began in 1984, when he was instrumental in securing passage of the 

National Organ Transplant Act, which laid the foundation for organ and marrow 

donation in the US. He has held many leadership positions, including president of 

the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation, which he founded in 1983; 

a board member of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP); chair of 

NMDP’s Public Policy Committee and Audit Committee; and member of the Board 

of Directors of The Marrow Foundation. He currently chairs the Give Life Foundation. He has taught 

courses on international trade and investment at a number of universities since 1986, and he has written 

and edited many books and journal articles. Dr. Fisher earned his BA from Washington University; his 

MA and PhD from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC, and 

Bologna, Italy; and his JD from Harvard Law School. 

Mr. Hughes is a pioneer in the fantasy sports industry, and he is the president and 

CEO of iTV Entertainment, LLC, which he founded with William Junkin in 2001 

and which develops interactive television games and applications. Mr. Hughes 

started his career in sales and marketing. After working for two Fortune 500 companies, 

he established Fantasy Sports Properties, Inc., which, in the years leading up to 

the emergence of fantasy sports on the Internet, was the leading publisher of fantasy 

sports software and how-to-play books. He also created Fantasy Sports in the Classroom, 

an educational curriculum for high school teachers now in its tenth edition. 

For more than 10 years, he has been on the Fairfax County (Va.) Public Schools 

Marketing Advisory Board. He also is a member of the national advisory board for 

Distributive Educational Clubs of America (DECA), the nation’s oldest and largest association of marketing 

students. He earned his BS in marketing from the University of Maryland, and he has been a regular 

blood and aphaeresis donor the past 25 years. 

We Welcome Your Letters 

The ABC Newsletter welcomes letters from its readers on any blood-related topic that might be of 

interest to ABC members. Letters should be kept relatively short and to the point, preferably about a 

topic that has recently been covered in the ABC Newsletter. Letters are subject to editing for brevity 

and good taste. Please e-mail letters to ABC Newsletter Editor Robert Kapler at rkapler@americasblood.org 

or fax them to (202) 393-1282. Please include your correct title and 

organization as well as your phone number. The deadline for letters is Wednesday to make it into the 

next newsletter cycle.


New CEO for STBTC (continued from page 1) 

UT Southwestern’s medical school. He moved to Colorado in 2007 to become Bonfils’ first chief medical 

and scientific officer. In that position, he provides strategic and operational leadership as well as medical 

and scientific direction related to blood services and products, laboratory testing, donor collection and 

counseling, hospital relations, expansion of new business and services, and clinical research. 

In addition to his position at Bonfils, Dr. Land currently serves as chair of America’s Blood Centers’ 

scientific, medical, and technology committee and the AABB’s Donor Biovigilance working group, circular 

of information taskforce, and TRALI taskforce. He is also past chair of the Texas Medical 

Association’s Blood and Tissue Usage Committee and sits on the Colorado Medical Society’s Patient 

Safety and Professional Liability Working Group. 

Dr. Land said he is happy to return to Texas: “I am excited to be coming to San Antonio and being involved 

with this dynamic organization, city, region and state.” (Sources: STBTC press release, 1/6/10; 

www.bonfils.org, accessed 1/6/10) 

Qualtex Laboratories Will Get a New Leader in Norman Kalmin, MD 

Norman Kalmin, MD, will become the next president/CEO and medical director of Qualtex Laboratories 

this year. Dr. Kalmin currently holds that position at South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC), 

where he will be succeeded by Kevin Land, MD (see related story, page 1). 

Dr. Kalmin, who has served as CEO at STBTC for 26 years, will relocate midyear 

to supervise the further development of Qualtex Laboratories, an affiliate 

of STBTC that is expanding its testing services and opening a satellite facility in 

Norcross, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta. Qualtex was spun off from STBTC in 2007; 

it registered with the Food and Drug Administration and now provides infectious 

disease testing services to blood banks and plasma centers. 

STBTC has grown exponentially under Dr. Kalmin’s leadership. When he 

started, it was a small blood center that collected 50,000 pints of blood a year 

and had an annual revenue of less than $5 million, according to an STBTC press 

release. In 2009, it collected more than 200,000 blood components, recovered 

over 200 tissue donations, banked 4,000 cord blood units, and tested more than 7 million biological samples. 

It is budgeted to generate some $148 million in 2010. 

“The growth and diversification of services through Norman’s leadership have been keys to our success 

as one of the most respected community healthcare facilities in the country,” Dr. Anthony Infante, chair 

of the STBTC Board of Directors, said in the release. “We know he will do a tremendous job building 

Qualtex Laboratories into a leading, worldwide resource for blood and plasma testing.” 

Dr. Kalmin completed his medical training at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Republic 

of South Africa. He began a clinical pathology residency at the South African Institute for Medical Research 

in Johannesburg just before he emigrated to the US in 1976. He completed his residency at the Erie 

County Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y., and received his certifications in pathology and blood banking 

from the American Board of Pathology. He joined STBTC as medical director in 1983 and was appointed 

CEO of the organization shortly thereafter. Previously, he was the associate medical director for the 

American Red Cross Blood Services in Atlanta. 



Kalmin Heads to Qualtex (continued from page 7) 

Dr. Kalmin has served on and chaired many local, national, and international blood and tissue boards and 

committees and is currently the vice president of the International Society of Blood Transfusion, headquartered 

in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity that the South Texas community has given me over the years 

to build STBTC into a world-class facility that has enhanced the lives of thousands of patients in this 

region and across the globe,” Dr. Kalmin said. “I look forward to developing the services provided by 

Qualtex Laboratories and am delighted that my transition to an affiliate of STBTC will enable me to remain 

part of the organization that has been my professional home for more than a quarter century.” 

(Source: STBTC press release, 1/6/10) 

RESEARCH 

Study: Presence of Strep Pneumonia Can Indicate H1N1 Infection Severity 

The presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae in individuals between the ages of 6 and 55 with H1N1 

influenza was associated with a 125-fold increased risk of severe disease, according to a new study 

published in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE (PloS One). 

The finding means that the presence of S. pneumoniae must be considered a risk factor for H1N1 – 

independent of obesity, asthma, diabetes, or chronic illness. The discovery was made after reports of 

higher morbidity and mortality rates in flu victims in Argentina prompted researchers from Argentina’s 

National Institute of Infectious Diseases to team up with scientists at the Center for Infection and 

Immunity at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City to learn 

more. 

Last May, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated an H1N1 case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.6 percent, 

similar to that of seasonal influenza in Argentina. In July 2009, however, Argentina reported 3,056 

cases with 137 deaths, representing a CFR of 4.5 percent. Initially, health officials suspected virus reassortment, 

genetic drift, or infection of a more vulnerable population. 

The researchers examined nasopharyngeal samples representing 199 H1N1 cases from Argentina – 39 

classified as severe and 160 as mild. Virus genomic sequencing of 26 of the samples (representing both 

severe and mild disease) indicated no evidence of reassortment, mutations associated with resistance to 

antiviral drugs, or genetic drift. No evidence was found for increased frequency of risk factors for H1N1. 

Researchers then turned to the possibility of bacterial or viral coinfection as a possible 

explanation for the unexpected severe illnesses. Using a new technology called MassTag 

PCR that can simultaneously detect the presence of several pathogens, the researchers 

linked H1N1 severity to S. pneumoniae. The association between severe disease and coinfection 

with S. pneumoniae was so strong, especially among those not in high-risk groups, 

that the researchers did rapid strep tests on flu patients to identify the bacteria’s presence 

in time to ramp up their care. 

According to Mady Hornig, MD, of Mailman School of Public Health, the study’s co-first author, “This 

study is the first to demonstrate that the diagnosis of S. pneumoniae, when it is still actionable, might have 

an impact on clinical management.” 



H1N1 and Strep (continued from page 8) 

The authors said that at least one additional bacterium or virus was found in 76 percent of the patients. 

Haemophilus influenzae; S. pneumoniae, or pneumococcus; and Staphylococcus aureus were the most 

common. Other viruses found were respiratory syncytial virus, human rhinovirus, human coronaviruses, 

Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanii, Serratia marcescens, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus, 

or MRSA. 

Of all the organisms, pneumococcus had by far the strongest association with severe disease and death. It 

was found in 56 percent of the 20 patients who died and 19 who were hospitalized, and also in 25 percent 

of 160 milder cases, a higher correlation than existed for any of the other coinfecting pathogens. 

Pneumococcus was found in approximately half of those who fell ill and were less than 6 years old or 

over 55, groups that the Argentinean government considered high risk. But it was present in two-thirds of 

those in the low-risk age range (6 to 55 years) who fell severely ill, and in one-fourth of that age range 

who were mildly ill. In the low-risk age group, the odds ratio for severe illness in the presence of S. 

pneumoniae coinfection was 125.5. Because of that correlation, diagnosis of bacterial coinfection can 

serve as a signal of flu patients’ increased risk of serious illness, and rapid bacterial detection methods 

such as PCR should be considered, the authors said. 

The possibility that bacterial coinfections can increase flu’s morbidity and mortality has been a concern 

since the beginning of the H1N1 pandemic, driven by findings from earlier pandemics of bacterial pneumonias 

among the dead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in September and 

also in November that bacterial infections were playing a role in serious and fatal flu cases, particularly 

among young adults, and it urged people to consider pneumococcal vaccination. (Sources: CIDRAP, 

12/31/09; United Press International, 1/1/10) 

Citation: Palacios G, et al. Streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection is correlated with the severity of H1N1 

pandemic influenza. PLoS ONE 2009 Dec 31;4(12):e8540. 

Studies Investigate the Link between Virus and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 

The recent discovery of a possible link between an infectious retrovirus and chronic fatigue syndrome 

(CFS) has raised concerns about blood safety risks. But scientists in the US and the UK have reached very 

different conclusions about the presence of the virus in the blood of people with CFS, and investigations 

are proceeding into possible implications for the blood supply. 

CFS is a syndrome with no known cause. The chief symptom is a persistent, debilitating fatigue that is 

not related to exertion and is not relieved by rest. It is also associated with muscle and joint pain, cognitive 

difficulties, mental and physical exhaustion, and other symptoms, and it can last for years. It is 

estimated to affect 17 million people worldwide. Because there is no known cause or diagnostic test, most 

patients with CFS experience stigma and skepticism about their symptoms. 

US Scientists Find a Link to the Retrovirus. The possible link between the virus and CFS was asserted 

in October, when a team of researchers published an article online in Science reporting that they had 

found that the blood of people with CFS frequently contained a novel gamma retrovirus, xenotropic murine 

leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV), which could be detected by nucleic acid amplification tests. 

The virus had been previously linked to prostate cancer, but not to CFS. 



CFS and XMRV (continued from page 9) 

The scientists carried out their research at the Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI) at the University of 

Nevada, Reno; the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and the 

Cleveland Clinic. 

When the team studied peripheral blood mononuclear cells, they identified XMRV in the 

blood of 68 of 101 patients with CFS (67 percent), but only eight of 218 healthy people (3.7 

percent). In cell culture experiments, they found the patient-derived XMRV to be infectious, 

and they found that both cell-associated and cell-free transmission of the virus was 

possible. They confirmed their findings when they observed retrovirus particles in patient 

samples using transmission electron microscopy. 

The recognition of a correlation between XMRV and CFS “could be a major step in the discovery of vital 

treatment options for millions of patients,” said Judy Mikovits, PhD, director of WPI and leader of the 

research team. However, she and her colleagues also emphasized that while their findings indicate an 

association between XMRV and CFS, they do not prove that XMRV causes CFS. 

No Link Found in the UK. However, another team of scientists, this one based in London, screened 

blood samples from 186 patients with CFS for XMRV and the closely related murine leukemia virus 

(MLV). They found no evidence for the presence of either virus in any of their samples. 

This team was led by Myra McClure, PhD, a professor at Imperial College London, and their study was 

published online in PLoS One Wednesday. They used a standard procedure to prepare specimens for 

nucleic acid amplification testing. Their patients all had been referred to the CFS clinic at King’s College 

Hospital in London and were “markedly unwell.” Based on their demographics, the researchers determined 

them to be “typical of CFS patients seen in specialist clinical services in the UK.” 

Given that they did not find XMRV or MLV in the blood of these patients, the researchers 

wrote that they “do not share the conviction that XMRV may be a contributory factor 

in the pathogenesis of CFS, at least in the UK.” 

Speculation about reasons why the two teams of scientists came up with conflicting results started immediately. 

An article in ScienceNOW Daily News, which also was published on Wednesday, summarized 

theories offered by a number of retrovirus experts: the two teams of scientists may have looked for different 

DNA sequences; the American samples may have been contaminated; there may be different varieties 

of XMRV in different parts of the world; or CFS may have multiple causes. 

Potential Implications for the Blood Supply. In any case, the possible relationship between XMRV and 

CFS raises questions about whether XMRV might be present in blood donated by people with CFS, 

whether it could then be passed to recipients of transfusions, and whether it might then cause CFS in 

those recipients. 

Michael Busch, MD, PhD, director of Blood Systems Research Institute (BSRI), told a writer in November 

that while viruses that could be transferred through blood are identified every year or so, “most of the 

time these things don’t evolve to be a serious problem.” As a precaution, he indicated that people with 

diagnosed CFS “should probably refrain from donating until specific studies are conducted to establish 

whether XMRV is causally linked to CFS and the virus is present in healthy donors and transmitted by 

transfusions.” He said that such studies should evolve in the next three to 12 months. 



CFS and XMRV (continued from page 10) 

Indeed, AABB has constituted a task force that includes major blood banking organizations and representatives 

from NIH, Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of 

Health and Human Services (HHS), and WPI to assess the potential impact of XMRV on the blood 

supply. Dr. Louis Katz, from Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Services, is the America’s Blood Centers 

representative to the task force. Dr. Simone Glynn, Branch Chief of Transfusion Medicine and Cellular 

Therapeutics at National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is coordinating a national study that will screen 

blood samples from healthy donors at multiple laboratories. The goal is to evaluate the different assays 

available for detection of XMRV and to determine the prevalence of the virus in the blood supply. BSRI’s 

Dr. Busch is one of the investigators in the project. 

The link between XMRV and CFS also received attention at a meeting of HHS’s Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 

Advisory Committee on Oct. 29 and 30. Daniel Peterson, MD, of WPI and John Coffin, PhD, of 

Tufts University gave presentations related to the possible link, and written and public testimony was 

heard. (Sources: Las Vegas CityLife, 11/15/09; www.hhs.gov/advcomcfs, accessed 1/6/10; 

www.cancer.gov, accessed 1/6/10; ScienceNOW Daily News, 1/6/10) 

Citations: Lombardi VC, et al. Detection of an infectious retrovirus, XMRV, in blood cells of patients 

with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Science 2009 Oct 23;326(5952):585-9. Epub 2009 Oct 8. Erlwein O, et 

al. Failure to detect the novel retrovirus XMRV in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. PLoS One 2010 Jan;5(1). 

Epub 2010 Jan 6. 

New Guidelines Address Red Blood Cell Transfusions 

Although various professional groups have issued guidelines on the transfusion of red blood cells 

(RBCs), none has specifically addressed transfusions in critically ill and injured adult patients. But a new 

set of guidelines, published in the December issue of Critical Care Medicine, attempts to fill this gap. 

The guidelines offer key recommendations for RBC transfusion in generally critically ill patients, those 

with sepsis, those with or at risk for acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and those 

with neurologic injury and diseases. In addition, the guidelines discuss RBC transfusion risks, alternatives 

to RBC transfusion, and strategies to reduce RBC transfusion. 

Lena M. Napolitano, MD, and colleagues from the American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) 

of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma 

(EAST) Practice Management Workgroup, developed the guidelines. The team used information from 

meetings, teleconferences, and other electronic communications in grading the published data on transfusion 

practice and outcomes. 

“Blood transfusion is clearly indicated for the treatment of hemorrhagic shock, particularly in patients 

who have reached critical oxygen delivery,” said Dr. Napolitano. “Independent of the mechanism of injury, 

hemorrhagic shock consistently represents the second leading cause of early deaths among the 

injured, with only central nervous system injury consistently more lethal.” 

For critically ill patients with hemodynamically stable anemia, except possibly for those with acute myocardial 

ischemia, a “restrictive” strategy of RBC transfusion (hemoglobin [Hb] level < 7 g/dL) is equally 

as effective as a “liberal” transfusion strategy (Hb level < 10 g/dL; level I). Use of only Hb level as a 



Red Blood Cell Transfusions (continued from page 11) 

“trigger” for transfusion should be avoided, the authors contend. They assert that the decision to transfuse 

should be based on intravascular volume status, evidence of shock, duration and extent of anemia, and 

cardiopulmonary physiologic parameters. RBC transfusion should be given as single units except for 

patients with acute hemorrhage. 

In an accompanying editorial, Constantino José Fernandes Jr, MD, from Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein 

in São Paulo, Brazil, said the guidelines have merit but notes that red blood cell deformability is critical 

for oxygen usefulness in sepsis. “RBC transfusion is usually employed to increase oxygen transport in 

sepsis in the hope that adequate oxygen supply will assure optimal oxygen use and thereby minimize 

organ dysfunction,” Dr. Fernandes writes. “This assumption … does not take into consideration the frequent 

alterations in blood cell rheology in critically ill septic patients. These alterations can be influenced 

by many factors, including alterations in intracellular calcium and adenosine triphosphate concentrations, 

a decrease in some RBC membrane components such as sialic acid, and changes in 2,3- 

diphosphoglycerate.” (Source: Medscape Medical News, 12/30/09) 

Citations: Napolitano, LM et al. Clinical practice guideline: Red blood cell transfusion in adult trauma 

and critical care. Critical Care Medicine. 2009. 37(12):3124-3157; Napolitano LM, et al. Clinical practice 

guideline: red blood cell transfusion in adult trauma and critical care. J Trauma 2009 Dec;67(6):1439- 

42; Sihler KC and Napolitano LM. Complications of massive transfusion. Chest 2010 Jan;137(1):209-20. 

 

BRIEFLY NOTED 

Some $60 million in funding is available to support four research projects designed to find solutions 

to health information technology (IT) adoption challenges. Research supported by the Strategic Health 

IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP) program will focus on areas where “breakthrough” advances 

are needed. The projects will be specifically designed and dedicated to overcoming health IT challenges 

to adoption and meaningful use and supporting the goals of the HITECH Act. The awards will range from 

$10 million to $18 million and applications must be received by COB Jan. 25. (Editor’s note The ABC 

Newsletter contacted Wil Yu, a special assistant in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information 

Technology, who said that the funding is open to educational institutions as well as nonprofit 

organizations “with a research mission.” Though the HITECH Act lists blood centers as healthcare providers, 

HIT funding through that office has so far been restricted to traditional healthcare settings.) The 

Office of the National Coordinator on Monday hosted a second Technical Assistance call for potential 

SHARP program applicants, A transcript of the call and the slide deck was supposed to be posted on 

http://healthit.hhs.gov in coming days. A previous technical assistance call was held on Dec. 22. Transcript 

and the PowerPoint slide presentation from the call are available at http://healthit.hhs.gov/sharp. 

For more information on the SHARP program, visit http://healthit.hhs.gov/sharp. Visit 

http://healthit.hhs.gov/hitechgrants for information on additional HITECH funding opportunity announcements. 

The Food and Drug Administration approved Fluzone High-Dose, a vaccine for people 65 and older 

to prevent disease caused by influenza virus subtypes A and B. People in this age group are at highest 

risk for seasonal influenza complications, which may result in hospitalization and death. Annual vaccination 

remains the best protection from influenza, particularly for people 65 and older. Fluzone High-Dose 

was approved via the accelerated approval pathway. FDA’s accelerated approval pathway 



BRIEFLY NOTED (continued from page 12) 

helps safe and effective medical products for serious or life-threatening diseases become available sooner. 

In clinical studies, Fluzone High-Dose demonstrated an enhanced immune response compared with Fluzone 

in individuals 65 and older. As part of the accelerated approval process, the manufacturer is required 

to conduct further studies to verify that the Fluzone High-Dose will decrease seasonal influenza disease 

after vaccination. “As people grow older, their immune systems typically become weaker,” said Karen 

Midthun, MD, acting director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “This is the 

first influenza vaccine that uses a higher dose to induce a stronger immune response that is intended to 

better protect the elderly against seasonal influenza.” Fluzone High-Dose, manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur 

Inc., is formulated so that each 0.5 mL dose contains a total of 180 micrograms (mcg) of influenza 

virus hemagglutinin (HA) which is made up of 60 mcg of each of the three influenza virus strains. Other 

currently licensed seasonal influenza vaccines for adults are formulated to contain a total of 45 mcg of 

influenza virus hemagglutinin (15 mcg HA from each of the three influenza strains per dose). Sanofi Pasteur, 

also manufactures Fluzone, a seasonal vaccine approved for use in individuals 6 months and older. 

As expected, because of the higher HA content, non-serious adverse events were more frequent after vaccination 

with Fluzone High-Dose compared with Fluzone. Common adverse events experienced during 

clinical studies included pain, redness and swelling at the injection site and headache, muscle aches, fever 

and malaise. The rate of serious adverse events was comparable between Fluzone High-Dose and Fluzone. 

People with hypersensitivity to egg proteins or life-threatening reactions after previous 

administration of any influenza vaccine should not be vaccinated with Fluzone High-Dose. Fluzone High- 

Dose is administered as a single injection in the upper arm and is available in single dose pre-filled syringes 

without preservative. (Sources: Sanofi Pasteur press release, 12/24/09; FDA Web site) 

The deadline for completing the 2009 National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey (NBCUS) 

has been extended until Jan. 29. The 2009 survey was sent to all blood centers and approximately 3,000 

hospitals that transfuse blood in the US. A separate questionnaire was sent to nearly 250 sites involved in 

cellular therapies. The NBCUS solicits general information about blood collection facilities, transfusion 

services, and cord blood banks, as well as specific data about blood collection, transfusion, cellular therapies, 

and product modification, including leukoreduction and irradiation. The data is used to support 

blood-related initiatives by the federal government and the transfusion medicine community. This biennial 

survey is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and conducted by AABB. 

Barbee I. Whitaker, PhD, director of data and special programs at AABB, emphasized the importance of 

the survey: “The more complete the data – in other words, the more hospitals and blood centers that participate 

– the more accurate the survey results will be as a tool for policymaking and to assess what is 

happening within our community.” Participants may return the survey by mail or submit it online at 

www.bloodsurvey.org. Links to the full survey and to frequently asked questions about it are available at 

www.aabb.org/nbcus. 

Theodore Collins, PhD, is a veteran cancer researcher with connections to the best doctors anywhere, 

but none of it could save his 26-year-old daughter Natasha from succumbing to leukemia. 

Dr. Collins is hoping to save others through “Natasha’s Place,” an umbilical cord blood bank. Natasha’s 

Place bills itself as the first cord blood bank in the nation with an emphasis on mixed heritage and minorities. 

The organization will reach out to African Americans, Asians, Latinos and other minorities. 

Natasha’s Place, based in New Haven, Conn., uses ethno-demographics and DNA identification to establish 

matches. All the public cord blood information will go into a global registry. Although Natasha’s 

Place serves people of every ethnicity, its research and advocacy components focus on mixed heritage and 

minority-related issues. Natasha, a medical student at Yale University when she died in August, was of 

mixed race, and that put her on the most unlevel of playing fields in the search for a bone marrow match. 

“It’s impossible for mixed race and most minorities to get a perfect match,” said Mr. Collins, a 



STOPLIGHT: Status of the ABC Blood Supply, 2009 vs. 2010 

3% 

11% 

3% 

17% 

2% 

7% 

2% 

13% 

2% 

14% 

1% 

15% 

2% 

28% 

4% 

3% 

10% 

18% 

11% 

13% 

80% 

76% 

83% 

76% 

62% 

63% 

59% 

75% 

59% 

68% 

7% 

4% 

8% 

10% 

26% 

20% 

11% 

17% 

12% 

9% 

12/10/08 12/9/09 12/17/08 12/16/09 12/24/08 12/23/09 12/31/08 12/30/09 1/7/09 1/6/10 

No Response Green: 3 or More Days Yellow: 2 Days Red: 1 Day or L 

The or der of the bar s i s (f r om top to bottom), r ed, yel l ow, gr een, and no r esponse 

BRIEFLY NOTED (continued from page 13) 

clinical immunologist. “It’s the chance of finding a small needle in a big haystack.” Two of the main reasons 

matches are so difficult are because minority populations are heterogeneous, meaning there’s a lot of 

ethnic mixing, and because there are fewer minorities and mixed-race people overall. To compound the 

problem, cultural factors and lack of awareness has meant fewer minorities being willing to be tested as 

possible matches, he said. Dr. Collins said only 7 percent of all African Americans have donors, which 

means, “We lose 93 percent.” He also is advocating on behalf of individuals in need of a match with an 

organization, “Become My Hero,” which publicizes the quest of specific patients in need of stem cells to 

save their lives. They are the largest cord blood donor recruiter network in the world. “I’m trying to make 

some good out of it,” Dr. Collins said, referring to his daughter’s death. Natasha’s Place is operated in 

partnership with Cryobanks International, a private and public storage facility. The advantage of stem 

cell-rich cord blood in treating patients with leukemia, sickle cell anemia, lupus, heart disease, liver disease, 

immune disorders, diabetes and many and other life-threatening illness is that the match doesn’t 

have to be as exact as with bone marrow, and won’t cause life-threatening complications. Natasha didn’t 

die from leukemia, but rather a graft vs. host rejection, because the bone marrow match was far from perfect, 

Dr. Collins said. More information about Natasha’s Place is available at www.natashasplace.org. 

(Source: New Haven Register, 1/3/09) 

GLOBAL NEWS 

In Wales, people will now have to “opt out” of organ donations, rather than opting in. The change 

means that people are presumed to want to be organ donors; they have to sign up if they do not want to be 

organ donors. (In an opt-in system, people have to sign up to be organ donors; otherwise, it is assumed 

that they do not want to donate their organs.) The change, which was made on Dec. 22 by the Welsh assembly’s 

health minister, Edwina Hart, excludes people who cannot be identified, can be proven to have 

changed their wishes, or have immediate family members who object. A number of European countries 

have opt-out systems, which often raise the rate of organ donation. Wales is the first country in the UK to 

move to an opt-out system. The change was prompted by the shortage of organs for transplantation in that 

country; the Welsh people were found to support the change by a margin to two to one. (Source: guardian.co.uk, 

12/22/09)


INSIDE ABC 

Thank a Donor Web Site Connects Blood Donors and Recipients 

America’s Blood Centers (ABC) on Tuesday launched a new Web site that offers blood transfusion recipients 

the chance to connect with blood donors. The new Web site, which is called “Thank a Donor” and is available 

at www.thanksdonor.com, aims to forge meaningful connections between people who donate blood and the 

people who receive it. 

“Our blood centers rely on the generosity of people who, in most cases, never meet the beneficiaries of their 

kindness,” said ABC President Thomas Schallert. “This site gives those who have received a blood transfusion, 

as well as their families and friends, the chance to tell their stories and personally say thank you. We 

hope the running dialogue on this site will inspire others to give blood, make a charitable contribution to a 

blood center, or volunteer their time.” 

The site allows visitors to upload images, videos, and descriptions of their connection to blood donation. Visitors 

to the social networking site can browse profiles or participate in conversations; they also can create 

personal profiles and interact with others via the site’s comment feature. Using the site’s search function, visitors 

also can browse other people’s profiles and use keywords to find donors or recipients with mutual 

interests or backgrounds. 

HHS Official Recognizes National Blood Donor Month, Encourages Donations 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a statement in honor of National Blood Donor 

Month, calling for “everyday heroes whose gift of blood donation can allow others to raise their quality of 

life.” America’s Blood Centers’ (ABC) marketing and communications staff worked with HHS to craft the 

statement, issued by Assistant Secretary for Health, Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH. 

Dr. Koh uses the statement to encourage more people to donate blood. He points out, for example, that someone 

in the US needs a blood transfusion every two seconds and that “more than 40,000 units of blood are 

needed every day in this country.” He also explains that less than 5 percent of people who would be eligible to 

donate do so. He closes by encouraging people to locate their nearest blood center by visiting ABC’s Web site 

or by calling 1-888-USBLOOD. 

The statement is being distributed to media outlets around the country. The statement is available at 

http://www.hhs.gov/ophs/news/20100107.html. 

ASK ABC 

Editor’s Note: The ABC Newsletter periodically answers questions posed by members of America’s Blood 

Centers in a recent survey. 

Q: What is the best way I can benefit from ABC 

A: The best way to benefit from ABC’s services and resources is to take part in ABC’s Listservs, conference 

calls, Data Warehouse, Webinars, workshops, and meetings. To provide input and set the direction of 

ABC’s policies and initiatives, volunteer on the appropriate ABC Committee. A quick and simple guide 

to America’s Blood Centers and the services provided to members can be found at 

http://members.americasblood.org/go.cfmdo=FileCenter.View&fid=2102.


INFECTIOUS DISEASE UPDATES 

In China, some patients with severe H1N1 are being treated with plasma from people who have 

recently recovered from or been vaccinated for the virus. The logic behind the experimental treatment 

is that these plasma donors have high levels of H1N1 antibodies in their blood and that transferring those 

antibodies through plasma transfusions could help severely or critically ill patients recover faster. Because 

the approach is still being evaluated, it has not yet been recommended by the World Health Organization. 

But a similar strategy was used in 2002-2003 during the outbreaks of avian flu and severe acute respiratory 

syndrome. Some experts have heralded the strategy as an alternative treatment for patients, particularly 

if the H1N1 virus has penetrated deeply into their lungs and thus is difficult to treat with Tamiflu. But 

others are urging caution until more testing can be done and protocols can be set. (Source: The Canadian 

Press, 12/25/09) 

LEGISLATIVE NEWS 

According to senior Capitol Hill staffers, one from each chamber, House and Senate Democrats are 

“almost certain” to negotiate informally, rather than convene a conference committee to merge the 

two chambers’ versions of the healthcare reform bill. Doing so would allow Democrats to avoid a 

series of procedural steps – not least among them, a series of special motions in the Senate, each requiring 

a vote with full debate – that Republicans could use to stall deliberations, just as they did in November 

and December. “There will almost certainly be full negotiations but no formal conference,” a House 

staffer told a writer from the New Republic magazine (1/3/10). “There are too many procedural hurdles to 

go the formal conference route in the Senate.” One reason Democrats expect Republicans to keep trying 

procedural delays is that the Republicans have signaled their intent to do so. On Christmas Eve, when the 

Senate passed its bill, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vowed in a floor speech, “This fight 

isn’t over. My colleagues and I will work to stop this bill from becoming law.” Said the Senate staffer, “I 

think the Republicans have made our decision for us. . . . It’s time for a little ping-pong.” “Ping pong” is a 

reference to one way the House and Senate could proceed. With ping-ponging, the chambers send 

legislation back and forth to one another until they finally have an agreed-upon version of the bill. But 

even ping-ponging can take different forms and some people use the term generically to refer to any 

informal negotiations. Whatever form the final discussions take, a decision to bypass conference would 

undoubtedly expedite the debate, clearing the way for final passage (if not signing) by the end of January. 

Republicans are sure to complain that they’re being excluded from deliberations. 

The American Red Cross will receive $400,000 in federal funding for a program to test blood for 

the dengue virus in Puerto Rico as a result of language inserted into the federal appropriations bill 

signed into law by President Barack Obama. Congressman Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR) secured the funding 

last year. In November, a medical officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San 

Juan, Puerto Rico, told the Blood Products Advisory Committee that “the US blood supply is at risk” of 

the spread of dengue from imported blood and travelers who bring the disease from other countries (see 

ABC Newsletter, 11/20/09). The mosquitoes that carry dengue, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, are 

present in the Southern and Southeastern parts of the US. The virus is usually transmitted from person to 

person by mosquito bites, but it can also be transmitted through blood transfusions, transplants, and needlesticks. 

Kay Tomashek, MD, said that in 2007, 25 units of blood donated to Red Cross in Puerto Rico 

tested positive for dengue. Twelve of those units had been shipped to the US. One recipient in Puerto 

Rico developed dengue hemorrhagic fever. Dr. Tomashek said that ARC centers in Puerto Rico – which 

collect 40 percent of the blood there – no longer export blood to the continental US during epidemic 



LEGISLATIVE NEWS (continued from page 16) 

periods. Blood donation screening for dengue virus by direct nucleic acid testing will be implemented by 

the Red Cross. Blood components from donors that test positive will not be distributed, but will be 

destroyed or used for further research. Blood donors will be notified of positive results and deferred 

temporarily until it is safe to collect blood from them again. They will also be given the chance to enroll 

into research studies to define the characteristics of naturally acquired dengue infection to further promote 

blood safety. (American Red Cross Web site, 12/17/09) 

A legislative bill in Ohio that would require physicians and the state health department to inform 

expectant mothers about umbilical-cord stem cell banking is in a legislative gridlock. The Informed 

Choice bill (HB 102), which has passed the Ohio State House and the Senate Health Committee, now 

awaits a floor vote in the Senate. Ohio could be on the verge of being the 18th state to pass legislation 

requiring physicians to give expectant mothers information on banking cord blood. “We want parents to 

know about banks out there, that they’re a very valuable tool when it comes to health care,” said Rep. 

Todd Book (D), who introduced the bill. However, the current political climate in Columbus is such that 

neither side is looking to pass bills introduced by the other side, resulting in a legislative gridlock in the 

Republican-controlled Senate. Rep. Book has expressed frustration at the partisan stalemate, but he says 

he is still confident that the bill will be passed before it expires at the end of 2010, which also will signal 

the end of his last allowable term in office. “It doesn’t cost much, if anything,” he said. “It can provide a 

lot of valuable information [through educational materials such as DVDs and brochures] and maybe save 

money in the future.” The Cleveland Cord Blood Center, one of 22 public cord-blood banks in the country’s 

National Marrow Donor Program network, stands ready to work with the state on informing the 

public. Patients at University Hospitals MacDonald Women’s Hospital and two other Ohio hospitals are 

able to donate cord blood at three other public blood-bank programs in the country. Public banks do not 

charge a storage fee. They are listed on a US and international registry for use around the world. Private, 

or “family,” cord-blood banks charge upward of $2,000, plus an annual storage fee, and are for the exclusive 

use of the donor’s family. (Source: The [Cleveland] Plain Dealer, 12/29/09) 

REGULATORY NEWS 

The Food and Drug Administration has released a guidance titled “An Acceptable Circular of Information 

for the Use of Human Blood and Blood Components,” effective immediately. This 

guidance was issued to make a technical correction to the “Circular of Information for the Use of Human 

Blood and Blood Components” dated August 2009 with respect to the dosage and administration of platelet 

components. The reported units for the corrected count increment have been changed to “per μL per 

10 11 per m 2 .” The changes are on pages 40-41 of the circular and the printed brochure. The corrected circular, 

dated December 2009, is available at 

www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidance 

s/Blood/UCM187348.pdf. 

The International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT) has revised its “Guidelines for Validation 

of Automated Systems in Blood Establishments.” The new version will be published as a supplement 

to the February issue of Vox Sanguinis. It reflects changes in regulations and developments in methodologies 

since 2003, when the first version was published under a slightly different name. For example, it 

reflects the recent developments of ICH Q8, ICH Q9, ICH Q10, GAMP 5, and PIC/S. It also includes a 

clearer definition of validation and its relationships to a blood establishment’s quality management system; 

a discussion of the relationship between risk assessment and validation; and sections on validating 

data migration software and network infrastructure, performing supplementary qualifications, using validation 

platforms, and validating software patches. The guidelines also include an appendix listing 



REGULATORY NEWS (continued from page 17) 

equipment commonly used by blood establishments and recommended approaches to validating each 

type. Each blood establishment is responsible for the regulatory compliance of the automated systems it 

uses – i.e., those that have some degree of computerized control. The validation process creates evidence 

that all parts related to those systems will work correctly and consistently. ISBT’s guidelines are meant to 

promote “a standardized approach to the complexities of validation projects for critical computer systems 

and equipment in blood establishments,” according to the document’s introduction. However, they do not 

recommend a particular method for validation; nor do they present a new concept of validation. Instead, 

they are meant to be “relevant and applicable to all blood establishments,” no matter how they approach 

validation. Citation: Sampson J, et al. ISBT guidelines for validation of automated systems in blood establishments. 

Vox Sang. 2010 Feb;98 Suppl 1:S1-19. 

MEMBER NEWS 

Last month, Mississippi Blood Services (MBS) broke 

ground on a new, state-of-the-art building in Flowood, 

Miss. The 52,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to be 

completed in December 2010. It will more than double the 

square footage of the center’s current facility, which David 

Allen, MBS’s president and CEO, said the center has outgrown. He added that the new building will help 

MBS continue to “meet the needs of hospital patients across the state with the best services possible.” The 

building will allow the center to increase its number of beds, and Tony Bahou, the center’s manager of 

communications and public relations, said MBS will also update its equipment and therefore be able to 

“fill hospitals’ orders in a more timely fashion.” (Sources: www.msblood.com, accessed 1/8/10; The 

[Mississippi] Clarion Ledger, 12/15/09) 

PEOPLE 

Larry Dumont, MBA, PhD, has been elected chair of the Biomedical Excellence 

for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative. Dr. Dumont will begin his four-year 

term in October 2010. He received his BS from Regis College in Denver and his 

MBA from the University of Phoenix. He earned his PhD at the University of 

Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, where he received training in biostatistics 

and epidemiology. He spent four years as a clinician in pediatric dialysis at 

the University of Colorado and was with COBE Laboratories / Gambro BCT for 

27 years as an engineer and manager in Quality Assurance and scientist in research 

and development. He has been involved with BEST since 1992 and has 

served in leadership roles for the past four years. He is an assistant professor of 

pathology at Dartmouth Medical School and directs its Cell Labeling Laboratory. He will replace Lorna 

Williamson, MD, the current chair of the BEST Collaborative, who said in a statement, “I am delighted 

that Larry will be my successor. . . . He has been a leading member of BEST for some years and has made 

major contributions to BEST studies. His experience of both manufacturing and academia will bring great 

strengths to BEST’s endeavors to undertake the kind of studies that bridge these two spheres.” The BEST 

Collaborative is an international research organization that explores ways to improve transfusion-related 

services through standardization of analytic techniques, development of new procedures, and clinical 

trials in hemotherapy. (Source: BEST Collaborative press release, 12/22/09) 



PEOPLE (continued from page 18) 

Karen Calder has joined the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas (CBCC) as its director of development 

and public relations. Calder will work on enhancing the center’s strategic partnerships and blood 

donor programs, as well as adding to its blood drive sponsors. She has spent the last seven years as executive 

director of Classroom Central, a non-profit start-up agency that currently distributes $4.5 million in 

free school supplies annually. Before that, she worked at the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and at 

InterArt Distribution, a division of Hallmark. Calder earned her BA from the University of North Carolina 

at Charlotte. (Source: CBCC press release, 12/21/09) 

IN MEMORIAM 

A Gainesville, Fla., girl who had participated in an America’s Blood Centers program, Pints for Half 

Pints, has died at the age of 17. Pints for Half-Pints was a three-year national initiative in the late 1990s to 

bring together child recipients from all the community blood centers and to highlight how the generosity 

of volunteer blood donors helps save lives. Eliza Lena Huff received blood and became a donation advocate, 

coordinating with ABC and the Southeastern Community Blood Center. She died Dec. 26 awaiting a 

heart/lung transplant at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. She had been there for over seven months. Eliza 

was born with congenital heart and lung defects. While awaiting organs, her heart arrested 15 times, but 

she battled back. As Katie Kilroy, one of her nurses, put it, “Eliza rewrote the rule book when it comes to 

medical science, determination, and life in general and she will not soon be forgotten by anyone at 

Shands.” Eliza became the darling of Tallahassee as an infant when her mother introduced her on her 

morning radio show. She was a sophomore and a 4.0 student in the gifted program of Florida Virtual 

School and was also a news junkie who was visited by Anderson Cooper one Friday night in a Jacksonville 

hospital room. The two hit it off immediately and he surprised her with a copy of The New York 

Times the following Sunday. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation, 

Dreams Come True of Jacksonville or Broken Hearts of the Big Bend. (Source: Tallahassee 

Democrat, 1/3/10) 

Former Blood Systems President Hayle B. Randolph, BS, MT (ASCP), died Dec. 21 in Phoenix. He was 

78. A native of Abilene, Texas, and a graduate of Abilene Christian College, he began his nearly 40-year 

career in blood banking at Travis County Blood Bank in Austin, Texas. He joined Blood Systems in 

1957, serving as executive director of centers in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Meridian, Miss., before moving to 

the national office in 1965 where he directed technical operations, plasma center operations, and blood 

center operations. Mr. Randolph served as president of Blood Systems from 1980 to 1990. Additionally, 

he led important initiatives for America’s Blood Centers, AABB, and the South Central Association of 

Blood Banks. Mr. Randolph is survived by his wife, Gwen; their children, Charlie and Susan; four 

grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Mr. Randolph’s family welcomes memorial gifts to Blood 

Systems Research Institute, P.O. Box 1867, Scottsdale, AZ 85252-1867, or to the Flagstaff Symphony 

Orchestra, 113 E. Aspen Ave., Flagstaff, AZ 86001-5263. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Mrs. 

Gwen Randolph, 1491 N. Edgewood, Flagstaff, AZ 86004. 

A veteran of the blood community, Karen McCauley Indovina passed away on Dec. 23 at Rex Hospital 

in Raleigh, N.C. She was 57 years old. Ms. Indovina held posts at the BloodCenter of Wisconsin and the 

Community Blood Center in Dayton, Ohio, among other organizations. Most recently, she served as manager 

of Regulatory Affairs at Talecris Biotherapeutics. She graduated from South Side High School in 

1970 and attended Jackson State College and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with 

a degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. Among her achievements was working with the Food and 

Drug Administration in the writing of compliance and regulatory guidelines.


MEETINGS 

Feb. 19 

California Blood Bank Society 2010 Regional Seminar, Simultaneous Sessions via 

Audioconferencing from Blood Source in Mather and the American Red Cross in 

Pomona, Calif. 

This seminar will feature presentations titled “QC and QA for Apheresis or Why We Do 

What We Do”; “100,000 Post Procedure Platelet Count”; a panel discussion on “The Miracle 

of Bone Marrow Transplants”; and a session on “Maintaining Collections During 

Flu Season!” by various blood center experts. Presented by the Nursing/Apheresis & Donor 

Resources Committees. 

Register online at www.cbbsweb.org. 

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: 

Classified advertisements, including notices of positions available & wanted are published free of charge for a maximum 

of three weeks for ABC institutional members. There is a charge of $100 per placement for ABC Newsletter subscribers & 

$250 for non-subscribers. Notices ordinarily are limited to 150 words. To place an ad, contact Deanna Du Lac at the ABC 

office. Tel: (202) 654-2917; Fax: (202) 393-5527; E-mail: ddulac@americasblood.org. 

POSITIONS AVAILABLE 

District Director. LifeSouth Community Blood Centers 

seeks District Director for South Florida Region. 

Ideal candidate will be responsible for overseeing daily 

operations of all branches in region, which include but 

not limited to maintaining positive hospital/customer 

relationships within district, as well as community, 

communicating with vendors & other entities to solve 

problems within district & ensuring branches are in 

compliance with Quality Assurance, Training & HR 

departments. Will act as media spokesperson for Life- 

South. This individual must have strong verbal & 

communications skills, as well as minimum of four 

years managerial exp. Position is located in Brooksville, 

FL. Submit cover letter & resume to: 

knhensel@lifesouth.org. Background check req’d. 

EOE/DFWP 

Technical Writer. Coffee Memorial Blood Center has 

opening for exp. technical writer who will oversee management 

& development of documents & document 

control system. Position supervises staff of two technical 

writers & utilizes document control (database) software, 

flowcharting software & basic graphic editing programs. 

BS or BA in English, Writing, Communications or 

health/medical field or equivalent combination of education 

& exp. req’d. Must possess excellent verbal & 

written communication skills, good command of vocabulary, 

spelling & grammar and attention to detail. 

Must be knowledgeable of scientific writing principles. 

Previous exp. with supervision req’d. Must be able to 

communicate & work collaboratively with wide variety 

of people & work with minimal oversight. Good command 

of MS Word & PowerPoint req’d. Familiarity 

with Adobe Acrobat a plus. Strong preference for applicants 

familiar with blood banking & transfusion 

services, FDA regulations applicable to Biologics & 

Drugs, including GMPs & AABB Standards. Occasional 

lifting up to 50 lbs. Must be able to sit & type for extended 

periods of time. Must be able to bend, kneel & 

reach on occasion. Excellent benefits package offered. 

For more information & to obtain printable application, 

please visit our website: www.thegiftoflife.org. Resumes 

& requests for additional information may be submitted 

to Kathy Mitchell, SPHR by Fax: 806-358-2982 or E- 

mail: kmitchell@thegiftoflife.org. EOE 

Reference Laboratory Technician. Kentucky Blood 

Center in Lexington, KY, seeks medical technologist to 

perform & interpret serological procedures on specimens 

submitted for compatibility testing or problem 

resolution. Will resolve typing problems, antibody problems, 

& cross match problems & communicate with 

hospitals as needed. 3rd shift, 10:30 p.m. - 7:00 a.m., 

Sunday - Thursday, including on-call rotation. This 

position requires MT (ASCP) with minimum two years 

recent blood bank exp., MT (ASCP) SBB pref’d. Strong 

written & oral communication skills, do-what-it-takes 

work ethic & team player attitude req’d. BS in Medical 

Technology (MT) or Clinical Laboratory Science 

(CLS). 



POSITIONS (continued from page 20) 

Competitive salary, comprehensive benefits including 

health/dental/life, LTD, paid vacations/holidays, EAP, 

403(b) retirement savings plan & pension plan. Drugfree 

and EOE/AAP. For more information or to apply 

for this position, please visit our website at: 

www.kybloodcenter.org. 

Laboratory Scientist &/or ASCP Licensed Medical 

Technologist. Join San Diego Blood Bank Reference 

Laboratory & make difference in lives of patients, staff 

& community. Work in one of finest cities in America, 

sunny San Diego with mountains, beaches & average 

temperature of 75 degrees year round! SDBB is not-forprofit 

community blood center that provides blood services 

for region. SDBB offers ideal location to start 

career, opportunity to take on leadership roles & ability 

to grow within organization. We are looking for qualified 

candidates: California licensed or eligible 

Laboratory Scientist &/or ASCP Licensed Medical 

Technologist. Specialty in Blood Banking pref’d. Blood 

Bank/Immunohematology exp. (minimum three to five 

years) & willing to relocate. Work independently, 

trouble shoot, problem solve & accept responsibility. 

We offer generous paid time off program, 100% employee 

paid health benefits; pension plan & 403(b). For 

more information contact: Marci Swearingen: 619-400- 

8320. AA/EOE 

Training Manager. Community Blood Services, headquartered 

in Paramus, New Jersey, has immediate 

opening for Training Manager in their blood collections 

division. Responsible for all aspects of education programs 

for all levels of Phlebotomists & Collections 

staff, assure clinical orientation & continuing education 

of staff, participate in planning, evaluation, validation & 

training for implementation of new technology. Requirements 

include: Bachelors Degree in Nursing or 

Allied Health Science pref’d, three to five years training 

exp., excellent organization, verbal & written communication 

skills. Blood banking exp. pref’d. To apply, 

please E-mail resume to: Careers@cbsblood.org. EOE, 

M/F/D/V 

Medical Director. LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, 

Inc. seeks medical director with two or more years 

of exp. in BB/TM. Position based at corporate headquarters 

in Gainesville, FL reports to Medical Officer. 

Responsibilities of position include providing medical 

direction to several regional centers in Florida, Alabama 

& Georgia with annual whole blood & apheresis collection 

of over 225,000 donors. Also included will be 

shared medical oversight of donor testing laboratory, 

reference lab, cord cell bank & therapeutic apheresis 

procedures. Applicant should be board certified in 

clinical pathology, hematology or other suitable specialty 

with board certification or eligibility in BB/TM and 

have or be eligible for licensure in Florida, Georgia & 

Alabama. Please submit cover letter & resume to: 4039 

Newberry Rd, Gainesville, FL 32607, Attn: Dr. Kathleen 

Sazama or kjsazama@lifesouth.org. Background 

check req’d. EOE/DFWP 

Medical Director. Blood Systems, national leader in 

blood banking, seeks applications for Medical Director 

at its corporate office in Scottsdale, AZ. Excellent opportunity 

for physician to provide medical direction & 

expertise for product manufacturing & distribution 

initiatives. Position will participate in developing new 

programs, delivering state-of-the-art clinical services, 

setting medical policies & developing procedures for 

relevant programs & services. Candidate will work with 

medical directors & management staff to develop & 

ensure delivery of educational programs that meets 

needs of medical & technical staff at hospitals served by 

Blood Centers division. Successful candidate will lead 

or participate in investigations & develop projects to 

improve blood transfusion policies & services. Candidate 

will be req’d to have MD or DO degree & be 

eligible to obtain license in State of Arizona within six 

months of hire. Position requires board certification in 

Clinical Pathology, Internal Medicine or Pediatrics &/or 

board eligibility in Transfusion Medicine. Blood 

Bank/Transfusion Medicine certification req’d within 

three years. Fellowship training in blood banking/transfusion 

medicine or three years exp. in field for 

Transfusion medicine req’d. Previous supervisory & 

blood center exp. pref’d. To apply, please submit CV 

along with names of three references by 1/29/10 to: 

Blood Systems, ATTN: HR/2009/59, 6210 E. Oak St., 

Scottsdale, AZ 85257 or Fax to: 480-675-5780. To 

apply on-line, E-mail: jobs@bloodsystems.org. Preemployment 

drug testing req’d. EOE M/F/D/V 

Director Technical Operations. LifeSource Blood 

Center is not-for-profit organization & major provider of 

products that support Chicago’s blood supply. Life- 

Source’s committed professionals believe in core values 

of providing reliable & safe blood products to community. 

LifeSource is made up of quality minded individuals 

who demonstrate team work, open communication, 

continuous learning & excellent customer service. Responsible 

for overseeing planning, organizing & general 

operations of Manufacturing, Labeling & Quality Control 

departments. Assures compliance with SOPs, 

regulatory agencies, cGMP guidelines & abides by all 

safety & security policies. Position supports all Life- 

Source activities which are directed towards selfsufficiency 

& goals & strategic operations of organization. 

Director of Technical Operations will assist 

departments in diagnosing operational problems; assist 

in resolving them & monitoring results. This important 

role will monitor daily activities to assure product availability, 

QC requirements are met & ensures HLA match 

product orders & fractionator shipments are made. This 




role manages team approach to identification & development 

of SOPs, validation protocols, new projects, 

computer upgrades & training. Assures compliance & 

accuracy with SOPs is maintained. Position requires 

minimum of five years exp. in laboratory management; 

blood center exp. req’d. Exp. working in regulated 

environment req’d with quality assurance pref’d. Bachelors 

in Biological Sciences req’d. BB or SBB req’d. 

To apply visit our website: www.lifesource.org or contact 

Nancy Sifuentes: 847-803-7845. 

Quality Source Consultant. Are you looking for great 

career opportunity with stable, mission oriented company 

Look no further! Blood Systems, national leader in 

blood banking industry, is recruiting for Quality Source 

Consultant to join our team. Under limited direction, 

successful candidate will be responsible for providing 

quality consulting services related to design, delivery & 

implementation of quality & compliance related initiatives 

internally within Blood Systems, Inc. as well as for 

blood collection facilities, hospitals, transfusion services 

or other external clients. Prior exp. with evaluation, 

design, validation & implementation of medical devices 

& software in blood establishment environment is a 

must! To be considered for this position, successful 

candidate must meet all of following requirements: 

Relevant Bachelor's degree with advanced certification 

in Quality Programs (e.g. CQA, CQM, Six Sigma etc,) 

req’d. Thorough knowledge of Quality Management & 

Quality Program Development req’d. Prior knowledge 

of blood banking industry standards & regulations will 

be req’d. Minimum of five year’s exp. in quality/regulatory 

leadership position to include: Three years 

supervisory exp. req’d. National level public speaking, 

healthcare, blood banking, or pharmaceutical industry 

exp. req’d. In addition, Certification as MT by recognized 

certifying agency, SBB, or advanced degree 

pref’d. Prior exp. in market research & analysis, marketing 

& sales techniques & new business development or 

consulting pref’d. Position will require travel approximately 

65% of time. Blood Systems offers 

comprehensive benefits package that includes 401k, full 

employer paid pension & much more! For consideration 

please submit resume by 1/15/2010 to: 

jobs@bloodsystems.org ATTN: HR/2009/60. Visit our 

website at: www.bloodsystems.org. Pre-employment 

drug testing req’d. EOE M/F/D/V 

Technical Director. United Blood Services-Louisiana 

seeks exp., results-oriented individual to provide blood 

center technical oversight for state & lab management. 

Successful candidate oversees blood center manufacturing 

& technical process to assure center-wide 

compliance with manufacturing & regulations. Bachelor's 

degree in chemical, physical, biological, medical 

technology or clinical laboratory science & certification 

as Medical Technologist by recognized certifying agency 

required. BB or SBB pref’d. LA State licensure 

req’d. Five years laboratory exp. & three years supervisory 

exp. req’d. Previous blood bank or blood center 

exp. pref’d. Competitive salary & excellent benefits 

package. Relocation assistance available. Position is 

located in Lafayette LA. Send resume w/salary requirements 

by 1/15/2010 to: HR Director United Blood 

Services – Louisiana, P. O. Box 3362, Lafayette, LA, 

70502. Pre-employment drug testing req’d. EOE 

M/F/D/V 

Assistant Medical Director. The American Red Cross 

Blood Services Southern California Region in Pomona, 

California seeks Assistant Medical Director with guidance, 

leadership & oversight of all matters relating to 

medical practices & research of blood region. Support 

medical services of regional centers. Responsible for 

medical policies & procedures of blood region. Monitors 

medical aspects of regional blood centers operations, 

including reference laboratories, research, medical 

community relations & collections. Provides medical 

consultations on transfusion medicine issues to regional 

physicians & other health care professionals. Qualifications: 

M.D or D.O degree with post graduate training in 

blood banking/transfusion medicine req’d. Board certified 

or eligible in internal medicine, pediatrics or 

clinical pathology. Board certified or eligible in blood 

banking/transfusion medicine desirable. Knowledge of 

current/projected trends in transfusion medicine/blood 

banking & hospital health care desirable. Must be licensed 

in state of primary site of region and all 

banking/transfusion medicine, or related field, or completion 

of a blood banking/transfusion medicine 

fellowship req’d. Apply On-line: 

http://americanredcross.apply2jobs.com/ 

Quality Director II. Blood Systems, national non-profit 

blood bank seeks professional with strong organizational, 

presentation, written & verbal communications skills 

for our Quality Director II position in St. Petersburg, 

FL. Responsible for managing review of quality systems 

& compliance in all areas of technical & clinical 

operations. Serves as resource to operations on quality 

issues & participates in Six Sigma & other performance 

improvement initiatives. Relevant Bachelor’s degree 

and five years of related exp. in regulated industry to 

include three years in quality, regulatory &/auditing 

environment & two years of previous supervisory exp. 

req’d. Certification as Med Tech or SBB pref’d. CQA, 

CQE &/or CMQOE certification within two years req’d. 

For consideration, please submit resume via E-mail by 

01/15/2010 to: jobs@bloodsystems.org. ATTN: 

HR/2009/61. We offer competitive benefits package, as 

well as relocation & much more! Pre-employment drug 

testing req’d. Visit our website at: 

www.bloodsystems.org. EOE M/F/D/V 

Sr. Medical Director – Corporate. Blood Systems, 

national leader in blood banking industry, seeks Sr. 




Medical Director to provide medical & operational 

direction to our clinical services division. Reporting to 

VP of Clinical Services, this key position will provide 

primary supervision & expertise for corporate program 

& service initiatives. Position will assist with development 

of our product portfolio & clinical services 

associated with programs such as stem/progenitor cell 

laboratory, transfusion service & HLA laboratory. 

Moreover, this position will have primary role in participating 

in medical policy meetings & collaborating with 

our blood centers & clinical services customers. To be 

considered for this position, candidates are req’d to 

have: MD or DO & current license (or attained within 

six months of hire) in AZ; Board Certification in Clini- 

cal Pathology or Internal Medicine; Board Certification 

in Blood Bank/Transfusion Medicine or eight years exp. 

in field of Transfusion Medicine. Qualification preferences 

include: American Society of Histocompatibility 

& Immunogenetics certification; five years stem cell 

processing exp.; exp. at blood center that collects, tests 

& distributes blood products for transfusion; good working 

knowledge of complete blood manufacturing 

practices. Blood Systems offers comprehensive benefits 

package that includes matched 401k + company paid 

pension, health benefits, relocation & much more! For 

consideration please submit resume by 01/15/10 to: 

jobs@bloodsystems.org. ATTN: HR/2009/58. Visit 

our website at: www.bloodsystems.org. Pre-employment 

drug testing req’d. EOE M/F/D/V

South Texas Blood & Tissue Center to Get a New CEO

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