Florida Blood Services now part of nation's second-largest testing lab

ST. PETERSBURG — In a merger that will create about two dozen local jobs and raise the national stature of Florida Blood Services, the nonprofit organization is joining with a Southwestern blood bank to form the nation's second-largest blood testing service, company officials said.

The local blood bank is partnering with Blood Systems Laboratories, based in Phoenix and Dallas, to share research capabilities and buying power. The Jan. 1 merger will not change either organization's blood collections, headquarters or fundraising.

It will create a third company, Creative Testing Solutions, which in size would be behind only the American Red Cross, according to the American Association of Blood Banks.

"It's about economies of scale for testing the blood and buying (supplies)," said Daniel Eberts, a spokesman for Florida Blood Services. "It also keeps us on the cutting edge of viral testing."

Blood Systems Laboratories will occupy 30,000 square feet in Florida Blood Services' headquarters at 10100 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N. In that building, Florida Blood Services recently expanded its testing labs to handle more volume and do advanced testing. Already the merger has created eight medical technologist jobs and four laboratory assistant jobs and will create about a dozen more next year, officials said. Medical technologists are paid between $41,000 and $61,400 a year while lab assistants earn between $21,400 and $32,000 a year, Eberts said.

Florida Blood Services, which has an annual budget of about $120 million, employs about 1,000 people, mostly in the Tampa Bay area. It provides more than 350,000 blood donations a year in Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

The nonprofit agency also handles over 900,000 blood tests a year, from samples sent from as far as Maine and Puerto Rico. With the merger, Florida Blood Services expects its blood testing workload to increase by 350,000 units, said Eberts.

Luis Perez can be reached at lperez@sptimes.com or (727)892-2271.