NEWS RELEASE
St. Louis Area Chapter
10195 Corporate Square
St. Louis, MO 63132
(314) 516-2800
Fax: (314) 516-2821
www.redcrossstl.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Further Information
Laura Treat: 314.516.2719
Cellular:
314.322.5856
Red Cross Consolidates Service Centers
in Metro East
Service Center "hub" will reside in Fairview Heights and serve
residents of St. Clair, Madison and Monroe counties
ST. LOUIS (Monday, February 18, 2002) – The St. Louis Area Chapter of the American
Red Cross today consolidated three Illinois-based service centers into one facility to serve the
Metro East.
Effective today the Red Cross service centers located in East St. Louis and Granite City
have merged with the Fairview Heights facility, which has been renamed "Metro East Service
Center". The new service center will continue to provide services to residents of all communities
previously served by the consolidated centers. The Metro East Service Center is located at
10218 Lincoln Trail and its phone number is (618) 397-4600.
"The Red Cross is committed to meeting the needs of every Metro East resident," said
Nancy Bates, Service Center Director for the St. Louis Area Chapter and Metro East resident.
"From helping disaster victims with immediate needs, to providing health and safety and
community disaster education presentations and CPR and First Aid training, the Metro East
Service Center will still continue to provide the same quality of Red Cross service to Illinois
residents."
Bates adds that the chapter is trying to make the transition as easy as possible for
residents. Red Cross health and safety classes will continue to be offered in local communities
and phones for both the East St. Louis and Granite City location will be rolled over to the
Fairview Heights location. East St. Louis health and safety classes will be offered at the Family
Living Center, 510 N. 25th St. in East St. Louis, while Tri-City health and safety training will take
place at the Providence Occupational Health building, 2103 Iowa in Granite City. Blood drives
and blood donation centers in the area will not be affected by this consolidation.
"The Metro East Service Center follows the same 'hub' service center model approach
that the Red Cross implemented in St. Louis," said Vanetta Rogers, Interim CEO of the St. Louis
Area Chapter. "For years, the City Service Center has provided services for both St. Louis City
and St. Louis County residents. We have found it a successful service model, and are confident
that it will continue to be one for people in the Metro East."
The service center consolidation is part of an effort by the St. Louis Area Chapter to
reduce overhead expenditures in light of a projected $468,000 shortfall in revenue due to
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Red Cross Consolidates Centers in Metro East
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decreased donations to local programs and services since September 11. In the last six
months, donations to local Red Cross programs are down as much as 50%. Rogers added, “St.
Louisans feel they’ve already given to the Red Cross—and they have. People throughout our
chapter's jurisdiction donated more than $6 million for victims of September 11, and they simply
may not be aware that none of those funds stayed in our community to support local programs
and services. The service center consolidation is just one step we are taking to reduce the
projected deficit.”
About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter
Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter provides emergency and
preparedness assistance to more than 354,000 St. Louis-area residents each year. The Red
Cross depends on the efforts of 14,700 volunteers and 150 staff to provide a wide range of
community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety,
adult daytime professional care, services to military personnel, assistance to homeless families,
and support for blood services. The Chapter provides programs and services to St. Louis City,
St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe,
Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois.
Important Note: The St. Louis Area Chapter also operates a service center at Scott Air Force
Base, which is not included in the service center consolidation in the Metro East. Also, the
Alton-based Southwestern Illinois Chapter of the Red Cross shares jurisdiction of Madison
County with the St. Louis Area Chapter and is not affected by this announcement.
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