Learn About Blood Donation

Whole Blood Donation This is the most common type of donation received from our donors. The entire process takes about an hour and includes four simple steps: Complete a Donor Health Questionnaire Mini-Physical Health Screening One of our trained staff members will take your temperature, measure your blood pressure, measure your hemoglobin (iron) levels and ask questions about your form and answer any questions you have. The Donation This part typically takes less than 15 minutes Insider Tip:  The donation will go faster if you are hydrated! Insider Tip 2:  Please eat before you donate.  There is no need to fast. Refreshments We ask that you stay about 15 minutes and have some delicious snacks in our canteen area before leaving our facility. A whole blood donation includes four components including:    Red Blood Cells Platelets Plasma White Blood Cells After your generous blood donation is received, it travels to our testing facility where the white blood cells are removed and the remaining components are separated into units of red blood cells, platelets and plasma.  When a patient needs a transfusion, doctors typically prescribe platelets OR red cells OR plasma, which is why it is critical for the blood to be divided into the components before being shipped to patients in need.  Each time you donate whole blood you can help save up to THREE lives. How Often Can I Donate Whole Blood? Expand You can donate whole blood donors every 56 days (8 weeks or 2 months), which means you can donate whole blood up to 6 times per year!   How Do I Know if I Am Eligible to Donate Whole Blood? Expand Review our eligibility requirements here.  If you have more questions, please feel free to contact our Quality Assurance Team at 571-434-3628. Ready to schedule your donation? Schedule your appointment today! Donate Now Apheresis or Automated Blood Collection (ABC) Apheresis is a way for our trained collection specialists to collect only a particular component of your blood for transfusion and return your remaining blood components to you safely through a sterile kit and process. Since the components are drawn into separate unit bags through a process called apheresis, it is likely that a patient will receive an automated blood donation unit faster than a whole blood donation because the separation step is skipped and the unit is able to go directly to testing. It is important to note that there are different eligibility requirements for automation donors.  You can read about the eligibility requirements here. The Apheresis Process for a Platelet, Plasma or Red Cell Donation: Complete a Donor Health Questionnaire Mini-Physical Health Screening One of our trained staff members will take your temperature, measure your blood pressure, measure your hemoglobin (iron) levels and ask questions about your form and answer any questions you have. The Donation Whole blood flows through single-use sterile tubing into a centrifuge chamber that spins your blood and separates the blood into its various components Each component is collected into a corresponding bag The unused components and an anticoagulant are returned to the donor during a “return cycle.” Refreshments We ask that you stay about 15 minutes and have some delicious snacks in our canteen area before leaving our facility. Automated Donation Options Platelets What are Platelets? Expand Platelets are small cells in the blood that induce clotting and control bleeding.  They are the body’s first line of defense against active bleeding. How Long Do Platelets Last After Donation? Expand After donation, platelets only last for FIVE DAYS!  They can be stored out of the body for up to five days in a room temperature incubator. Three of those days are spent on testing, so platelet donors are always needed. Who Uses My Platelets? Expand Platelets are given to help stop bleeding in patients recovering from cancer, leukemia, open-heart surgery and transplant surgery. What Else Should I Know About Platelets? Expand A single platelet donation yields as many platelets as normally present in SIX whole blood donations. A+, AB+, AB- and B+ blood types are optimal for platelet donations.  To learn more, visit “Ideal Donation for Your Type” How Much Time Do I Need to Allow to Donate Platelets? Expand A platelet donation typically takes between 90 and 120 minutes. How Often Can I Donate Platelets? Expand You can donate platelets every 14 days, up to 24 times per year. Plasma What is Plasma? Expand Plasma is a pale yellow mixture of water, proteins and salts that acts as a carrier for blood cells, nutrients, enzymes and hormones. Plasma carries clotting factors and nutrients. How Long Does Plasma Last After Donation? Expand When frozen, plasma donations last up to one year. Who Uses My Plasma? Expand Plasma is often used to help trauma patients, organ transplant recipients, newborns and patients with clotting disorders. What Else Should I Know About Plasma Donation? Expand One plasma donation yields as much plasma as THREE whole blood donations. AB+ and AB- blood types are optimal for plasma donations.  To learn more, visit “Ideal Donation for Your Type” How Much Time Do I Need to Allow to Donate Plasma? Expand A plasma donation typically takes between 90 and 120 minutes. How Often Can I Donate Plasma? Expand You can donate plasma every 28 days, up to 12 times per year. Double Red Blood Cells What are Red Blood Cells? Expand Cells containing hemoglobin transport oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body and remove carbon dioxide and waste. How Long Do Red Blood Cells Last After Donation? Expand Red blood cells can be stored out of the body for up to 42 days in a 1-6°C refrigerator Who Uses My Red Blood Cells? Expand Red blood cells are used for more than 70 percent of all transfusions for patients. Red blood cells carry oxygen and are often given to surgery and trauma patients and those with blood disorders such as anemia and sickle cell anemia. What Else Should I Know About Double Red Cell Donation? Expand One double red cell donation yields as many red blood cells as two whole blood donations. O-, O+, A-, B- blood types are optimal for double red cell donations. Time Needed to Donate Double Red Cells? Expand A double red cell donation typically takes 20 minutes longer than a whole blood donation. The average time spent from start to finish is typically around one hour. How Often Can I Donate Double Red Cells? Expand You can donate double red blood cells every 112 days, up to three times per year.