Red Cross Fined $16-Million for Blood-Safety Violations

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday levied a $16-million fine on the American Red Cross for violations of blood-safety standards, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The fine, which brings to $37-million the total penalties assessed against the charity since 2003 over its collection and processing of blood products, resulted from federal inspections of a dozen Red Cross facilities nationwide in 2008 and 2009. The government agency said it saw no evidence that patients or the national blood supply was put at risk.

The Red Cross said it has already taken action to correct the violations cited by the agency. The fine will be paid out of the charity’s operating budget, which is financed by fees charged to hospitals for blood services, rather than from donations.

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