Versiti Board Announces New President and Chief Executive Officer

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Versiti Board Announces New President
and Chief Executive Officer

Milwaukee, Wis., — December 14, 2016 – Versiti, Inc., a healthcare organization focused on improving the health of patients and enabling the success of its health care partners in the fields of transfusion medicine, transplantation and blood related diseases, today announced that its Board of Directors has selected Chris Miskel as President and Chief Executive Officer following an extensive search. Miskel will join Versiti effective February 1, 2017.

Miskel will provide leadership for Versiti and its four affiliates: BloodCenter of Wisconsin, headquartered in Milwaukee Wis., Indiana Blood Center headquartered in Indianapolis, Heartland Blood Centers, headquartered in Chicago, Ill, and Michigan Blood, headquartered in Grand Rapids. Miskel succeeds current BloodCenter of Wisconsin and Versiti President and CEO Jacquelyn Fredrick, who announced that she would retire from the position effective February 3, 2017.

“Chris’ passion for our mission, keen appreciation for research and science, and his business experience in the health care industry, make him uniquely qualified to lead Versiti during this transformative and exciting time in healthcare,” said Versiti board chair Dick Fotsch. “We were committed to finding a new leader that would perpetuate the many successes that Jackie has led to keep Versiti at the forefront of a rapidly changing healthcare environment and to advance our mission of becoming a national leader in innovative solutions to meet the unique blood-related needs of our customers.”

“Chris comes to Versiti from Baxter International/Shire and Eli Lilly and Company with broad ranges of experience and accomplishments in serving the health care community through innovation, including leading a global immunology franchise, new product development, strategy development, leading Lilly Australia and New Zealand, operations and business development in bio-medicines, merger and acquisitions and finance functions,” said Peter Ziegler, search committee chair and immediate past chair of Versiti. “Chris will be charged with expanding Versiti’s long standing commitment to excellence in research, medicine, and innovation that has established Versiti and BloodCenter of Wisconsin as an internationally respected transfusion medicine, transplantation and blood-related diseases organization for the last 70 years.”

Miskel is a graduate of Butler University in Indianapolis with a degree in Business Administration. He later earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. Miskel worked for Eli Lilly and Company from 1996 to 2013 and for Baxter/Baxalta/Shire from 2013 to 2016.

“It is an honor and privilege to be selected as the next CEO of Versiti,” said Miskel. “I would like to express my sincere, heartfelt appreciation to Dick, Peter, and the entire search committee for this tremendous opportunity. Versiti’s mission is inspiring, and I’m thrilled to continue the extraordinary journey that Jackie has led with our exceptionally talented colleagues across Versiti. – MORE –

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About Versiti
Versiti is an organization of successful healthcare organizations whose vision is to improve
the health of patients as the national leader in providing innovative and value-added solutions to meet the unique blood related needs of each of our customers. Working together, Versiti
offers hospitals a more comprehensive range of services, including transfusion medicine, transplantation, stem cell and cellular therapies, hematology, oncology and genomics. At Versiti, we are passionate about improving the lives of patients by helping our healthcare partners solve their toughest challenges. Versiti’s expertise and resources lead to new products, solutions and services to meet patient and hospital needs. For more information, visit www.Versiti.org.

About BloodCenter of Wisconsin
BloodCenter of Wisconsin, part of Versiti, is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., that specializes in blood services, esoteric diagnostic testing, organ, tissue and stem cell donation, medical services and leading-edge research. We advance patient care by delivering life-saving solutions grounded in unparalleled medical and scientific expertise. The collective efforts of Versiti affiliates result in improved patient outcomes, expanded access to care, and cost efficiencies for healthcare systems nationwide. For more information, visit www.bcw.edu.

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BloodCenter of Wisconsin and Eastman Chemical Company announce new blood bag clinical trial results

Monday, November 14, 2016

Study supports viable alternative for blood bag plasticizers

Kingsport, Tenn., November 14, 2016 — BloodCenter of Wisconsin (BCW, part of Versiti) and Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) have announced the results of a recent clinical trial evaluating a new plasticizer for blood bags. While di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) has provided the medical industry with a stable ortho-phthalate plasticizer for many years, regulatory trends and consumer demands will inevitably drive the industry to non-phthalate alternatives. The clinical trial results demonstrate that Eastman 168™ SG non-phthalate plasticizer, a sensitive-grade DEHT, is a viable alternative for medical applications.

“Blood bags are one of the most challenging applications in the plastics market,” says Eastman Market Development Manager Mark Brucks. “BCW’s research is important because it demonstrates a viable alternative for those who have concerns around using DEHP in sensitive applications like blood bags, and it’s also a testament to the importance of material suppliers and institutions working together to find safer solutions.”

The clinical trial findings were presented at the 2016 AABB Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 24 by Sharon Graminske, manager of applied research laboratory at BloodCenter of Wisconsin. Entitled “In Vitro Evaluation of DEHT Plasticized PVC Blood Bags for Red Blood Cell Storage in AS-1 and PAGGSM Preservative Solutions,” Graminske’s presentation highlighted the trend driving the need for DEHP alternatives as well as the preliminary results supporting DEHP replacement with DEHT, a non-phthalate general-purpose plasticizer.
“Our work with Eastman has provided valuable results that will benefit the blood banking industry,” said Kathleen Puca, M.D., BloodCenter medical director and principal investigator who oversaw the findings reported by Graminske. “The DEHT trial results offer new insight about a well-established plasticizer that has now been proven to have an even broader application within health care — providing safer blood products.”

Further work is being completed on plasma to validate performance. “Eastman 168 SG is a proven, tested, and toxicologically clean solution for the medical market,” says Brucks. “By working closely with BCW, we are able to extend the utility of Eastman 168 SG into this application, offering customers a cost-effective alternative that performs to standard so that they can confidently make the switch from DEHP when they are ready.”

BloodCenter of Wisconsin’s Clinical Trials and Cellular Therapy Services provide a full spectrum of services for clinical trials (preclinical and phases I–IV) in a wide range of therapeutic areas. BloodCenter of Wisconsin has assisted pharmaceutical and medical device companies with regulatory studies, laboratory testing, assay development and a variety of other research needs for more than 30 years.

For more information on products enabling flexibility in the medical market, visit www.EastmanPlasticizers.com.

About Blood Center of Wisconsin
BloodCenter of Wisconsin, part of Versiti, is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., that specializes in blood services; diagnostic testing; organ, tissue and marrow donation; medical services and leading-edge research. We advance patient care by delivering life-saving solutions grounded in unparalleled medical and scientific expertise. The collective efforts of Versiti affiliates result in improved patient outcomes, expanded access to care and cost efficiencies for health care systems nationwide. For more information, visit www.bcw.edu and www.versiti.org.
About Eastman
Eastman is a global specialty chemical company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With a portfolio of specialty businesses, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. Its market-driven approaches take advantage of world-class technology platforms and leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. Eastman focuses on creating consistent, superior value for all stakeholders. As a globally diverse company, Eastman serves customers in approximately 100 countries and had 2015 revenues of approximately $9.6 billion. The company is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA, and employs approximately 15,000 people around the world. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

Solera Health and Blood Centers of America Align To Deliver National Diabetes Prevention Program to Patients at the Hyper-Local Level

Monday, October 31, 2016

West Warwick, RI and Phoenix, AZ-October 31, 2016– Blood Centers of America (BCA) and Solera Health, an integrator of chronic disease prevention and management solutions, today announced they have entered into a strategic partnership to address the type 2 diabetes epidemic by implementing diabetes prevention and management programs to reach individuals across the diverse landscape of BCA’s service area. Under the terms of the agreement, BCA and its members will join Solera’s integrated network of partners who are working towards preventing and managing chronic disease.
BCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) was built with the goal of engaging their community population to get more involved in their health and to take the necessary steps to make healthy lifestyle changes to maintain or improve their health. The chronic disease prevention initiative, which is expected to initially launch in BCA blood centers located in California, and then expand to its network of 300+ fixed site locations across the country. Click Here to Read More.

BLOOD CENTERS OF AMERICA JOINS COUNCIL FOR DIABETES PREVENTION

Monday, October 10, 2016

West Warwick, RI, October 7, 2016– Blood Centers of America is pleased to announce its membership in the recently formed Council for Diabetes Prevention to support the delivery of the Centers of Disease Control National Diabetes Prevention Program.
“BCA and its members are uniquely positioned to deploy the National Diabetes Prevention Program by leveraging our diverse footprint, mobility and our long standing trust in the communities we serve. This provides us an additional opportunity to better serve and support our donor population as well as the communities that have established many of our blood centers.”
-Bill Block, President/CEO Blood Centers of America
The Council for Diabetes Prevention brings together industry stakeholders to increase access to the National Diabetes Prevention Program, promote high-quality standards, and support the long-term scalability and sustainability of this unique patient-centric, community-based program.
Click here to read more>>>

San Diego Blood Bank and the National Blood Collaborative receive Sub-award to support the U.S. Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program

Wednesday, October 05, 2016

SAN DIEGO, CA – October 3, 2016 – As part of the most ambitious medical research program
in the history of American medicine, the San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) and the National Blood
Collaborative (NBC) have received a sub-award for their role in enrolling participant-volunteers
into the national Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Cohort Program.

Click Here to Read More SDBB PMI news

Martin Landon Named CEO of BioBridge Global

Monday, September 19, 2016

SAN ANTONIO – Longtime biomedical industry executive Martin Landon has been named chief executive officer of BioBridge Global (BBG), the nonprofit organization that oversees and supports the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC), QualTex Laboratories, GenCure and The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation. The announcement was made today by BBG Board Chair Mike Kreager. Click Here for more