Blood Services

What to Expect When Donating Blood

1. You'll be asked for a form of identification each time you donate. You will need to provide the following information:

name
date of birth
social security number

2. We will do a mini physical examination that includes checking:

your temperature
your blood pressure and pulse
a drop of your blood to be sure you have enough red blood cells to donate safely

3. You'll be asked about your past and present health and lifestyle, and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Depending on your answers, you may be deferred from donating, either temporarily or permanently.

If you are allergic to iodine, tape or natural latex rubber, tell the interviewer, so that the donation staff can substitute other materials.

This interview will be private and confidential.

4. You'll be given a form so you can let us know, privately, whether your blood is safe to give to another person.

5. We will cleanse an area of the arm you will be using to donate. All of the supplies, including the needle, are sterile and are used only once — for you.

6. When we start the actual donation, you may feel a brief "sting" from the needle. The donation usually takes about 10 minutes, and you will have given about a pint of blood when finished. Your body will replace the plasma (liquid part) in hours and the cells in a few weeks.

7. When you are finished, you will be given a form with donations instructions and a number to call if you decide after you leave that your blood may not be safe to give to another person

8. Although most people feel fine before and after donating blood, a small number of people may have:

an upset stomach
faint or dizzy feeling
black and blue mark, redness, or pain where the needle was

Very rarely, a person may faint, have muscle spasms, and/or suffer nerve damage.

Who Should Not Give Blood
Please refer to the Donor Eligibility Guidelines.

Tell the interviewer
You should tell the interviewer if you:

aren't feeling well
are running a fever
have traveled to Cancun, Cozumel, or any other areas in Mexico, or taken a Caribbean cruise in the past 12 months.

You will be asked some follow-up questions to determine whether you can donate blood.

Ineligible donors
We maintain a confidential list of people who may be at risk for spreading transfusion-transmitted diseases. When required, we report donor information, including test results, to health departments, military medical commands, and regulatory agencies. Donation information may also be used confidentially for medical studies.

If you decide not to give blood

If at any time you decide that you should not give blood, you may walk away.

Testing your blood

Your blood will be tested for syphilis, HIV (the virus that causes AIDS), hepatitis and other factors. We will notify you, if tests show you may be unhealthy. Your blood would not be used if it could make someone sick. (A sample of your blood or a portion of your donation might be used now or in the future for additional tests or other medical studies. Please tell us if you object.)

Do not give blood to find out whether you test positive for the virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. Though the tests we use are very good, they are not perfect. HIV antibodies may take weeks to develop after infection with the virus. If you were infected recently, you might have a negative test result, yet be able to infect someone. That is why you must not give blood if you are at risk of getting AIDS or other infectious diseases. We can tell you where to get an AIDS test anonymously.
If you are temporarily deferred from giving blood, please don't give up! We hope you will return to donate blood once your deferral period is over.

Do I Qualify to give Blood?