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St. Joseph chooses new blood supplier

NORTH BAY, June 23, 2008 – St. Joseph Health System-Sonoma County will no longer buy blood under contract from Blood Bank of the Redwoods, according to an announcement released today.

St. Joseph will now purchase blood from the San Francisco-based nonprofit, Blood Centers of the Pacific, a subsidiary of Blood Systems Inc., the second-largest blood collection organization in the United States.

St. Joseph, which operates Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Petaluma Valley Hospital, opened up its blood contract for bidding this year after having signed with Blood Bank of the Redwoods for 60 years.

Hospital officials said it is their obligation to keep prices as low as possible for patients, and Blood Bank of the Redwoods has consistently increased prices. Local blood bank officials said prices increase an average 2 percent to 3 percent per year.

Blood cost per adjusted patient day at St. Joseph’s closest facilities in Eureka and Napa average between $15 and $20. Sonoma County blood averaged a little more than $25 per adjusted patient day, St. Joseph said. Blood makes up less than 1 percent of the organization’s Sonoma County budget.

St. Joseph was nonprofit Blood Bank of the Redwoods’ largest customer, accounting for near a quarter of the blood products the bank sells.

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