Ten different donation centers across the country will join together under the name Vitalant, unifying United Blood Services with services in 39 other states.

The new Vitalant will have 27 donations centers nationwide and 30,000 mobile blood drives for an estimated 780,000 donors and 1.8 million annual donations, according to a news release issued Monday morning.

“Our organization has grown to encompass blood donation centers and specialty services from coast to coast. As transfusion medicine leaders, we embrace this opportunity to combine our innovative capabilities,” Dave Green, the company’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “We invite the public to join us in generating more vital donations to transform even more lives in communities across the United States.”

The nine other donation centers are: Blood Center of the Pacific, BloodSource, Bonfils Blood Center, Central Blood Bank, Community Blood Services, INland Northwest Blood Center, Lifeblood, LifeShare and LifeSource with Vitalant’s national headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“United Blood Services has had a more than 50-year history as a major blood center serving the state of Mississippi,” Danny Garrick, the president of Vitalant operations in the Southeast, said in a statement. “We remain committed to the communities with the same people and purpose you’ve come to expect.”

Pronounced “Vye-TAL-ent,” Vitalant supports nearly 1,000 hospitals and health care entities with blood products, transfusion services, medical consulting, quality guidance, ongoing education and research. An estimated 5,000 donations are needed each day, including 250 in Mississippi, according to the release. 

As most donations, 60 percent, come from donors over 40, Vitalant said it hoped to inspire the next generation of donors.

“Vitalant’s purpose is to help people realize their life-transforming potential,” Ron Waeckerlin, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, said in the release. “A name change does not change our commitment to the communities we serve in Mississippi or the people who count on us. In fact, our national presence allows us to effectively tap into our network to ensure donations reach the people who need it most.”

Vitalant said it would continue to host two donations each month from 2 to 6 p.m. on the first and third Thursday at Walmart on Highway 19 in Meridian. For more information, visit vitalant.org or call 877-258-4825.