Ashland County Red Cross to Become Certified Service Delivery Area Under Jurisdiction of the Greater Cleveland Red Cross.

Regional Structure is Growing National Trend to Ensure Efficiencies

CLEVELAND -- Declining donations and a drop in fee for service revenue, exacerbated by the current economic climate, has led the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of Ashland County to vote to surrender its charter and ask the National Red Cross Board of Governors to accept its request to become a Certified Service Delivery Area associated with the American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland (ARC,GC), a regional unit of the American National Red Cross.

"The Board of Directors researched all options that would allow the same level of services, preparedness, and response to disasters throughout Ashland County that residents have come to expect," said Board Chairman Floyd "Chip" Poland. "We believe our current course of action in becoming a Service Delivery Area while maintaining local disaster response is the best and most viable decision."

Red Cross disaster response services will continue to be offered in Ashland County, utilizing trained Ashland County Red Cross volunteers, with the support of the ARC,GC and the Wayne County Chapter. This will allow for the consolidation of administrative tasks by the ARC,GC. Both the Wayne and Ashland Chapters work within the oversight of the ARC,GC under an established regional structure.

"It became apparent that there was an opportunity for synergy between Red Cross chapters in our region," said Mary-Alice Frank, CEO, ARC,GC. "We believe this is a win-win scenario. Consolidating the administrative function will create more efficient service delivery to a wider region in the most cost-effective way, which is a great measure of success."

With changing living patterns, technology and communication systems, a regional Red Cross structure has been evolving across the country, becoming a benchmark for efficiency and cohesive preparedness planning.