Blood Donors Needed
Blood donors are desperately needed as so many blood drives have been cancelled.
Following is information on opportunities to serve others!
Community Blood Drive at Immanuel
Our next Community Blood Drive will be held Mon., Jan. 25, 3:30-6:30 PM in our gymnasium. Schedule your appointment here.
Thank you to everyone who donated at our Nov. 9 Community Blood Drive. Seventeen units were collected, potentially saving 51 lives!
Who Can Donate?
The donor must be in good health and feeling well and at least 17 years of age; 16 year olds are eligible provided they have written approval from a parent/guardian. Donors must weigh 110 pounds or more and it is recommended to eat something within the four hours prior to the donation. Fever, persistent cough, sore throat or chest congestion disqualifies a donor. There must be eight [8] weeks between regular whole blood donations. Waiting period must be sixteen [16] weeks after double red cell apheresis: seven [7] days after platelet apheresis. Donors taking medications may be deferred from donating due to their underlying medical condition. Check with the Heartland staff for acceptability. Travel to certain parts of the world may be cause for deferral. Check with the Heartland staff to determine eligibility.
Versiti Highland Blood Centers
1200 N. Highland Ave., Aurora, 630 892 7055 or 2000 W. State St., Unit 1E, Geneva, 630 208 8105
Appointments are required to allow for appropriate spacing of donors. Thank you!
Blood Donation and COVID-19
Revised Apr. 28, 2020
Q. Do you or can you do antibody testing if I suspect that I had COVID19 but do not have a positive confirmation?
A. Thank you for reaching out to us. We are not performing any type of testing for COVID19 on blood donors. We continue to follow all FDA and CDC guidelines related to blood donation and coronavirus. COVID-19 is not believed to be transmitted by blood transfusion, so there is no intent for us to test donations at any point. If you’d like to donate blood, you are able to as long as you’ve been symptom free for 28 days.
Q. Is it safe to donate blood? What steps are you taking?
A: The donation process itself poses no risk of infecting a donor with COVID-19. The virus is currently not known to infect patients through blood transfusion. Staff at all of our donor centers and community blood drives are taking the necessary safety measures laid out by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Association of Blood Banks. These measures include pre screening both staff and donors for COVID-19 symptoms, including taking donors’ temperature, complying with social distancing with beds six feet apart and/or separated by a partition, wiping down surface areas and beds after each donation, and providing only packaged snacks and drinks.
Q. What steps are you taking to ensure the staff and donors are healthy?
A. The health and safety of our staff and blood donors is top priority. Our dedicated staff is taking the necessary health precautions when it comes to social distancing, hand-washing, and sanitizing surfaces. In addition, staff members who serve our donors are required to have their temperature checked when beginning work, just as donors are.
Q. Are donor center and blood drive staff required to wear a face mask?
A. We are currently following recommendations by the CDC about face masks as well as how to properly defend against COVID-19. Currently it is mandated for our staff to wear a mask at blood drives, even though they are dealing with a healthy population. Versiti staff members are following many new safety measures to ensure donor safety, as well as their own.
Q. Are blood donors required to wear a face mask?
A. There is new governmental guidance that masks be worn in public areas where social distancing is difficult to practice. So beginning Mon., May 4, all donors must wear masks at both fixed sites and mobile blood drives. We believe that most of our donors will provide their own masks, but we will provide disposable surgical masks to those who come without one.
Q. How long will it take to donate blood with the new safety precautions?
A. With the extra requirements of social distancing and maintaining a schedule that is safe for our donors, we anticipate an extended stay for our donors of an additional 30 minutes. Normally, a donation would take about an hour.
Q. Does shelter in place affect blood drives?
A. Individuals are allowed to leave their homes for essential healthcare and public health operations. Versiti is a critical part of the healthcare community. Organizations like ours who collect blood, platelets, plasma, and other necessary materials are exempt from Safer at Home directives. For this reason, donor centers remain open and community blood drives are being held , and future drives being scheduled.
Q. Do I need a note to attend a blood drive?
A. You do not need a note to attend a blood drive. Donating blood is seen as an essential service and individuals are allowed to leave their residences to partake.
Q. What if I have signs of a cold but am generally feeling well. Should I keep my appointment?
A: As with any other appointment, if you feel ill, it is advised that you stay home and reschedule your appointment for a later date. Healthy individuals are encouraged to keep their appointments and will undergo the health screening process prior to their donation.
Q. What if I discover I have COVID-19 after donating blood?
A. Any donor who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 after donating is asked to get in touch with a Versiti call center representative where staff can connect them to the appropriate Versiti personnel to ensure the necessary steps are taken per CDC guidelines.
Q. Can I catch the coronavirus at a blood drive?
A. Blood donation is a safe process, with multiple safety measures in place per the CDC, and COVID-19 is not currently known to spread through the transmission of blood. Versiti is taking every measure possible to maintain a safe environment during the donation process, including pre-screening for donors and staff, social distancing, hand washing, and sanitizing beds.
Q. Are there other public links where I can learn more about COVID-19 and blood donation?
A. For more information on COVID-19 as it relates to blood, visit the American Association of Blood Banks website aabb.org. For general information on COVID-19, visit cdc.gov.
Q. When should a donor self-defer?
A. Versiti has implemented 28 day self-deferral to anyone who has traveled to Italy and other European countries, China, South Korea, and Iran. If a donor believes they have been exposed, they should consider rescheduling their appointment.
