Frequently Asked Questions About the Blood Program
Who can give blood? First, to be a donor, you must be 17 or older, or 16 with parent/guardian consent (there is no upper age limit). You must weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health and must not have donated blood in the past 8 weeks. Most medications won't cause you to be deferred as a donor. Other conditions will be evaluated by staff at the collection site or you can reach a Record Review Coordinator at 1-866-562-7156 for further information regarding eligiblity.
"Does it hurt to give blood?" No more than the needle stick you get for a lab test at your doctor's office. A blood donation involves drawing about a pint of blood from your arm and usually takes less than 10 minutes. The entire process, from registration to canteen, should take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. There is no known risk of contracting any disease from donating blood.
"Why do I get billed for blood at the hospital, even though I donated blood through the Red Cross?" Although people voluntarily donate their blood, there are still tremendous processing costs associated with collecting, testing and distributing blood. To recover these processing costs, Red Cross, which operates on a not-for-profit basis, charges a reimbursement fee. The hospitals also incur operating costs for cross-matching and transfusing blood and blood products. These costs appear on your hospital bill and are covered by most medical insurance plans.
"What are the operating costs involved in collecting blood?" Each blood drive must have paid staff to transport, set up equipment equipment, screen donors, and collect the blood at each location. The blood collection bag (which includes satellite bags for component processing) may be a double, triple, or quadruple bag. Testing to ensure safety in the blood supply is another necessary expense, as is maintaining confidential donor records and operating a computerized inventory management system. Supplying special shipments of blood to hospitals incurs more costs.
"What kind of testing and processing does my blood donation undergo?" When blood is collected, small amounts are drawn into test tubes. These samples are used to perform requried tests on each blood donation. At least 10 tests are performed on each donated unit to ensure quality and safety of the blood supply. * Blood grouping instruments perform ABO grouping and Rh typing. The test results are interpreted by computer and confirmed by blood center laboratory staff. Each unit is tested for red cell antibodies, antibodies to hepatitis viruses, syphilis, antibodies to HIV (viruses associated with AIDS), HIV antigen and antibody to HTLV-I (a very rare retrovirus). Units with unusual test results are discarded and samples are submitted for further testing. * Blood may be shipped as whole blood, or more routinely, as specific components of blood that a patient needs. About 98 percent of all donations are separated into specific components: red cells, platelets, fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate (anti-hemophilic factor). Our Red Cross laboratories process each blood donation. * We (Red Cross) also maintain an HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) laboratory which types and matches donors to patients when special platelet or white cell products are required. Patients with leukemia or other forms of cancer often require these special services.
"Doesn't the Red Cross understand I'm busy and don't have time to wait at a blood drive?" Yes, and we appreciate your generosity in giving and your patience with any waiting that you may experience! We are continually working to improve our operations and we want your blood donation experiences to be good ones. If possible, please consider making an appointment for your donation. Walk-ins will always be welcome, but we do make scheduled appointments a service priority and that may delay walk-in donors if the schedule is full. Thank you for understanding and, especially, for being a Red Cross blood donor!
Copyright © 2006 - 2007 Henderson County Red Cross
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