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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Arthritis / November 2006FDA Levies Another Fine On American Red Cross For Blood-Safety Violations
American Red Cross Faces Another Heavy Fine Over Blood-Safety Violations 11-28-2006 12:28 AM By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON -- The American Red Cross is facing another heavy fine over blood-safety violations, bringing penalties against the organization to more than $15 million despite a promise three years ago to fix the problems. The Food and Drug Administration disclosed that it had fined the organization $5.7 million recently for continuing to violate blood-safety rules and failure to comply with a 2003 agreement aimed at correcting the unsafe practices. The latest fine was noted in an FDA letter dated Nov. 21, to Red Cross interim president and CEO Jack McGuire, and posted Monday on the FDA Web site. The Red Cross was given a mid-December deadline to produce a report on how it intended to comply with FDA requirements, or possibly be subject to additional penalties. The latest fine is being added to a tally of nearly $10 million in previous FDA penalties for violation of blood-safety laws, regulations and the terms of the 2003 consent decree. That settlement resolved charges that the Red Cross had committed "persistent and serious violations" of federal blood safety rules dating back 17 years. In 2004, the Red Cross implemented a plan, with the FDA's blessing, to detect, investigate, monitor and correct the sorts of problems repeatedly cited by government investigators. A 2005 inspection of a Red Cross facility in West Henrietta, N.Y. was supposed to be the first comprehensive evaluation of how the plan was working. But the federal inspectors, over 29 days, turned up 207 deviations from the plan, the FDA said. The latest fine of $5.7 million stems from that inspection. The inspectors found shortcomings in quality assurance, inventory management, control of non-conforming blood products, donor screening and blood component manufacturing issues as well as other problems, according to the FDA. The Red Cross said it would devise a new plan to comply with FDA requirements. The Red Cross board of governors also has asked for an independent and comprehensive assessment of how it complies with FDA regulatory requirements. The Red Cross does not use donated money to pay fines, but instead relies on operating funds, according to the organization. Those include revenue from the sales of blood products. The Red Cross provides more than 40 percent of the nation's blood supply, selling blood products to health facilities. ... Born free, but taxed to death. To anyone,,,, What do you make of this? Harv > American Red Cross Faces Another Heavy Fine Over Blood-Safety > Violations [quoted text clipped - 56 lines] > > ... Born free, but taxed to death. It means I definitely won't be giving my money to the Red Cross! Gwen > To anyone,,,, What do you make of this? > [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] >> >> ... Born free, but taxed to death. > To anyone,,,, What do you make of this? My local blood bank, where I've been donating since 1966, charges only a processing fee when blood is needed. It does not sell blood like the Red Cross does. But this the same Red Cross that was selling cigarettes to G.I.s. Cigarettes that were branded "Donated by .....name of tobacco company". The same Red Cross that was rocked by scandel 3 years ago in SoCal. It put dollars donated to/earmarked for fire victims into its general budget to pay utility bills, etc. Fire victims received less than 25% of the donated monies. The same Red Cross that's been investigated for padding the books while running the ADA bus system under contract for the county. ... URA Redneck if you think Virginia Slims is a new brand of Condoms. On Nov 28, 9:46 pm, "Fire Chief" <CALIFORNIA_CH...@PEOPLEPC.COM> wrote: > > To anyone,,,, What do you make of this? My local blood bank, where I've been donating since 1966, charges only > a processing fee when blood is needed. It does not sell blood like the > Red Cross does. > > But this the same Red Cross that was selling cigarettes to G.I.s. > Cigarettes that were branded "Donated by .....name of tobacco company". You know, according to Snopes this isn't true, but my Grandfather swore he paid for ciggies from them, as did my husband's dad (they are deceased now, so I can't "prove" what they said). They say that the Red Cross only made American GIs pay for coffee, doughnuts, and lodging (a minimal fee). The SAME Red Cross that took my husband's blood donations from 1972 - 2002, then said they couldn't anymore because of Mad Cow (he was in Turkey in the early 80s and ate Highland Beef - from the UK). Now, they acknowledge that he would be dead by now if he HAD eaten infected beef, but they won't accept his blood anymore. When my husband's father passed (when hubby was a SGT), commander gave him bereavement leave, he had no money. The Red Cross told him that because he had already received the LEAVE from his commander that they couldn't help him (apparently THEY have to get the leave approved themselves or you don't get a ticket to fly home). I DESPISE them for a number of reasons, and these are only a few. > The same Red Cross that's been investigated for padding the books > while running the ADA bus system under contract for the county. Smokie Darling (Annie) I think the quality of their for-profit blood collection and delivery is about the same as the speed and quality of their non-profit disaster relief : if not poor than really bad. The problem is the same as the United Way...all chiefs (no offense meant, Joe) and few Indians; retention of the Indians sux and having to start from scratch each time is dragging the effectiveness WAY down. If you're gonna be a professional outfit for profit and your major goal beyond that is fundraising, then do it. Or allow other real and truly professionally run not for profit NGO's to do the staffing and deliver the charitable and emergency services. The way it is now is the reputation ( both RC and UW) doesn't match what actually happens when the rubber meets the road....and it's what happens when there is lax oversight and mere appointees rather than seasoned professionals at the top...the heads are not really working or even knowing exactly what it is they should be leading and getting done. Ummm....does that answer the ??, Harv? Hugs from Rosie  Signature"If you wanna get it done, you gotta fight for yourself." -- Meat Loaf, Bat Outta Hell II > To anyone,,,, What do you make of this? > [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] > > > > ... Born free, but taxed to death. > I think the quality of their for-profit blood collection and delivery is > about the same as the speed and quality of their non-profit disaster [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > Hugs from Rosie Pretty well and thanks,,,, in other words kind of like the fed. gov. even though the state gov. was worse when that hurricane hit New Orleans. They did not even have water in the Super dome and that was the place people were told to go. All those school buses lined up and under water with thousands of stranded people in N.O. So it goes. Harv It doesn't have to be that way, tho'. And some states and definitely the military have professional emergency response teams that are the best in the world. The Miami-Dade Fire/Rescue Team flies out world wide to do search and recovery of earthquake victims and they train, train, train when not busy saving lives. They're state employees. Andrew was a more destructive hurricane than Katrina. It was the loss of the levee walls in NOLA that caused the flooding...Katrina just set the stage. Remember all the thank yous and back patting immediately after? Then the levees were breached and that was that. The levees were an Army Corps of Engineers problem that was left unattended to...and the same thing is happening with the levees around Lake Okeechobee here in FL. It took the Army to help the people that the Army Corps of Engineers left stranded. And they died. More people than died from the Twin Towers disaster died in NOLA. They kept dying way after the 72 hours the government tells ya you have to be responsible for yourself and your family. NOLA ripped open the curtain where there were literally thousands of Wizard of Oz disaster responders not responding. It took the 82nd Airborne to be peacekeepers and do the job of feeding and then moving all us Andrew refugees. It's just the way it is....the military actually does the work and afterwards it's the Red Cross getting credit but in reality telling ya sorry, but they can't really help ya. They refused to help me obtain any meds. at all after there had been 3 in a row hurricanes here in 2004. If the Red Cross won't help with medicine (there weren't any pharmacies open for 2 months straight) then who will? Ya really gotta demand better....we as Americans can do better and deserve better. Our generous fellow Americans pay top dollar in donations to have disaster survivors helped...way before you get washed into the bayou and right down into the Gulf yerself there, Harv. Disaster Preparedness Hugs from Rosie Signature"If you wanna get it done, you gotta fight for yourself." -- Meat Loaf, Bat Outta Hell II > > > I think the quality of their for-profit blood collection and delivery is [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > So it goes. > Harv > It doesn't have to be that way, tho'. And some states and definitely the > military have professional emergency response teams that are the best in [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > > Disaster Preparedness Hugs from Rosie A really good look at the world around us. Thanks Rosie.... harv Yer very welcome, Harv. And should you and yours need a place...me and Norm will be here 4 ya. ReHugs from Rosie Signature"If you wanna get it done, you gotta fight for yourself." -- Meat Loaf, Bat Outta Hell II > > > It doesn't have to be that way, tho'. And some states and definitely the [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] > A really good look at the world around us. Thanks Rosie.... > harv > Yer very welcome, Harv. And should you and yours need a place...me and > Norm will be here 4 ya. > > ReHugs from Rosie That is so nice,,, Aaah, the winter cold is going to reach us tomorrow and I was thinking of farther south would be good. :-) Harv Harv wrote: > Aaah, the winter cold is going to reach us tomorrow and > I was thinking of farther south would be good. :-) > Harv It's arrived here. 30 degrees in the valleys and 40 coastal areas. ... URA Redneck if truckers tell your wife to watch her language.
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