First aid needed for Red Cross

The American Red Cross is too important an institution in this country to escape a bruising congressional inquiry by the Senate Finance Committee.

Congress designated the agency as the nation's first responder in times of natural disasters and civic calamity. Sadly, the Red Cross is not living up to its reputation and responsibilities.

Troubles and warning signs are not new. As the largest blood collector and provider, questions were raised in the 1990s about the agency's handling of the blood supply.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Congress asked more pointed questions about the performance of the Red Cross.

This past year, the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast seemed to overwhelm the organization.

Yes, the Red Cross rallied 39,000 volunteers to shelter more than 160,000 evacuees and provide millions of meals, but Congress is looking to see if the help reached the neediest cases in the areas isolated by race and income.

All the numbers for the Red Cross are big: $3 billion in annual revenues, a volunteer base of 1 million with 40,000 employees and more than 1,000 local chapters and 40 blood service centers.

In the past, this visibility may well have shielded the Red Cross from timely and appropriate scrutiny by Congress. Certainly the charity's reputation makes it the default choice for generous Americans opening their checkbooks in the aftermath of a tsunami, earthquake or major fire. Is that trust respected with rigorous stewardship of those contributions?

The turmoil has taken its toll on a respected brand. Four chief executives have left the Red Cross in the past six years. Some of the problem is laid to a large, unwieldy board of governors dominated by delegates from local chapters that micromanage the work of the national organization.

The Red Cross is too important for this congressional inquiry to fail.