In testimony before a legislative committee earlier this year, Lawrence F. Smith, president and CEO of the RI Blood Center said that because of the outstanding work of the center, there are no blood shortages in Rhode Island.
The General Assembly today gave final passage Thursday to legislation to ensure that remains the case and to guarantee the adequacy of the blood supply in the state and the availability of blood products and blood services for patients and hospital in the state.
Approved and now headed to the governor’s desk were companion bills – 2013-H 6095 by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston) and 2013-S 0904 by Sen. James C. Sheehan (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown).
Find out what's happening in Narragansett-South Kingstownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The legislation will require that any entity collecting blood in Rhode Island must maintain a facility within the state and be predominantly committed to supplying blood to hospitals within the state. It also authorizes enforcement by the Department of Health to ensure that no unregulated entity engages in blood collection.
The need for the legislation arose, said the sponsors, because another blood center in New England, part of a national chain headquartered in Washington, D.C., has begun to collect blood in Rhode Island, even though this out-of-state center provides no blood products or services to hospitals in the Ocean State.
Find out what's happening in Narragansett-South Kingstownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
If enacted, the provisions of the legislation will take immediate effect.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
