LifeStream Blood Bank president/CEO Dr. Rick Axelrod to retire in September

LifeStream Blood Bank announced Thursday that President/CEO and Medical Director Dr. Rick Axelrod will retire from his position on Sept. 18.

Axelrod joined the organization in 2004 when it was called the Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, with 275 employees serving 33 hospitals in the two counties. During his 19-year career, the organization has grown to include 425 employees serving 80 hospitals in six counties, added five blood donation centers, two distribution centers, doubled the volume of its reference laboratory business and added new programs, according to a press release from the organization.

The release also states that Axelrod will continue to work as a medical director in Southern California. Additional information was not provided.

No information was available Thursday on who will succeed Axelrod in the position.

The blood bank CEO has served on a number of national and local committees, including chairman of the board of directors for Desert Regional Medical Center and the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In 2017, Axelrod received the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Award from California State University, San Bernardino, as Nonprofit Executive of the Year. He received his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine, and received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

LifeStream has donor centers located in La Quinta and Rancho Mirage in the Coachella Valley. Mobile drives are also available and can be found at giftoflife.lstream.org/donor/schedules/zip 

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @ema_sasic.