The Calloway County's American Red Cross Chapter Director is leaving the organization ahead of a restructuring that would claim his job and close the local chapter.
Matt Hamblen has held the position since January 2013 and announced his departure today.
He says that his leaving is not a resignation but part of a nationwide workforce reduction.
Last week, the non-profit organization announced that it would be consolidating many of its local Red Cross chapters to become stronger and more cost-efficient by 2017.
Hamblen says the consolidation will result in a 24-county West Kentucky Red Cross Chapter set to open on January 1, 2015. Until that time, Hamblen says staff and volunteers at the Murray location will still be present at the chapter office.
"My local board of directors has agreed to stay on to see everything through this transitional period and thier main focus will be to make sture that all services are still being rendered," said Hamblen.
"When I do end up walking out on the 14th, the doors will still be open. I do have it lined up where we'll have a couple of volunteers manning the office, until at which point someone says if we're gonna close the doors or we're gonna keep it open. So there will be manpower in there when I leave."
Hamblen's last day is Nov 14th. He says the new West Kentucky chapter will be headquartered in either Paducah or Owensboro but that there will still be locally-based coordination of volunteers and fundraising after the consolidation.
Calls to the Red Cross Kentucky offices were not returned by airtime Thursday.
