Senate Passes Bill That Benefits Blood Firm Owned by Ally of Bane

The state Senate gave final legislative approval Friday to a bill to continue allowing the sale of a special blood product from paid donors, a law that would benefit a Sherman Oaks firm with ties to co-sponsor Assemblyman Tom Bane.

The legislation, approved unanimously without discussion, would renew for three years an exemption from a state law that bans the sale of blood products from paid donors.

HemaCare Corp. of Sherman Oaks, which has made campaign contributions to Bane (D-Tarzana), is one of only two firms in the U.S. that sell blood platelets from paid donors, according to HemaCare officials. Platelets promote blood clotting and are used by patients undergoing heart surgery or chemotherapy.

State health officials and private blood banks have long opposed the use of purchased blood, arguing that it might jeopardize public health because payment attracts indigent donors more likely to be infected with hepatitis and other diseases. The state has banned use of purchased blood in transfusions since 1974, a spokesman said.

Blood Shortage

However, the state Health Services Department did not oppose the exemption because extra blood is needed to cover a shortage in Southern California, a spokesman said.

Bane sponsored legislation in 1986 creating a three-year exemption from the law, allowing the use of paid platelets if blood given by volunteers was unavailable. He said Friday he intended to carry the new bill but was forced to back off because of adverse publicity over his links to HemaCare. He was listed as a co-author.

Bane’s involvement generated controversy because HemaCare, located in his 40th Assembly District, has contributed $4,850 to Bane campaign committees over the past four years.

Additionally, HemaCare’s medical director, Dr. Joshua Levy, is a longtime friend of Bane and provided important medical referrals when the lawmaker was stricken in 1984 with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a sometimes fatal ailment.

Bane also drew criticism for trying to steer $400,000 in state funds for study of the relative safety of paid versus voluntary blood, a move critics said was intended to benefit HemaCare.

Bane and HemaCare officials denied that the platelet bill, which goes to Gov. Deukmejian for his signature, is special-interest legislation designed exclusively to help the firm. “The most important thing about this is the benefits to patients who don’t get bad blood,” Bane said Friday.

Harvest Process Lauded

Bane and HemaCare insist platelets from paid donors are safer because of screening safeguards and the process used to harvest them, known as hemapheresis.

Under it, enough platelets for a single transfusion can be taken from a single donor. By contrast, blood must be taken from six to 10 volunteers to get the same amount of platelets. Paid blood proponents argue that increases the chance of contamination six to 10 times.

The state Health Services Department counters that studies have shown paid-donor blood is far more likely to contain hepatitis because cash rewards attract high-risk donors. They also argue that paid donors are less likely to tell the truth about their medical history during screening interviews.

HemaCare argues that those studies are outdated and irrelevant because its donors are middle-class college students and hospital employees, not Skid Row denizens. The firm’s donors must be paid because the harvesting process takes several hours and involves physical discomfort, officials said.

The bill was introduced by Sen. John Doolittle (R-Rocklin), who has said he carried the legislation because it represents a chance to increase the safety of blood supplies.