Criteria to Donate Blood

Series Summary

Blood is needed every two seconds. One in seven people entering a hospital will need blood. Blood, unlike many medications and procedures, can not be manufactured or harvested. Sixty percent of the population can donate blood, but less than five percent actually donate.

You have heard it all your life. “Donate blood, and donate regularly.” Blood donations are extremely important to millions of people all over the world. In the United States alone, more than five million people will need a blood transfusion each year. The benefits are hard to deny. By donating blood, you are saving lives. Though some may be skeptical to donate blood, this act of charity and small sacrifice saves cancer patients, accident victims, and many more. The blood donation process is very quick and relatively painless. Typically, four hundred and fifty milliliters of blood are drawn during a donation process. After blood is drawn, blood plasma levels return to normal in twenty-four hours, and red blood cells are replaced within three to five weeks. With such quick recovery time, it's astounding that so many do not donate blood. Just think. In one donation, you can save three lives.

In this free video series, learn if you can donate blood. Our expert, , works with the American Red Cross. With his help, you can see if you qualify for donating blood. Learn the process of blood donation, and how your blood is tested before donating. Also, get tips for understanding how medications, diseases, travel, and tattoos effect your ability to donate blood. If you are curious about what is used in your blood donation, learn how plasma, red blood cells, and platelets are collected. There is no doubt that blood donations are in constant demand. So, take some time, and see if you can save a life today!

Video Transcript

"Giving blood is fairly simple, believe it or not. We are trying to get the American public to hear us. You have to be seventeen years old. And again that's the State ruling so depends on the State you're in. And you need to check with your guidelines there. See if that's a requirement sixteen or seventeen. A hundred and ten pounds that's pretty much the standard across the nation. And that is set by the FDA. In fairly good health, and what we mean by that is, you know, you may have few low things going on but you're in generally good health. Fairly active. You know, you can come in and give blood. The population, today most of us are active. You know, we're at here doing things and we?re eligible to give blood. Believe it or not. Most of the time we talk to first time donors and we're talking to them one on one or in a group. And we'll for questions or I met a blood donor outside. Can you tell me why you've never given blood before? And people will tell you. Because I've never been asked. Now to me that's astounding because that's what we do for the good of the society. Why are you asking? But most people say the reason they've given blood is because they've never been asked directly. Or never been in a situation where they've known there was a need for blood. Either family member or whatever reason he had needing blood. So we've got to make sure we do that asking. The population today you know is more active like I said than ever. So we're warning people to come in and give blood. Most people only give blood about one time, one and a half times a year. Now you think about that with the number of need and the number of the need that is there out there. We need people to be giving more often So we're attempting to get people to donate you know, at least twice a year. Frame it around a birthday, frame it around a holiday or frame it around the events you remember or a couple of the events you remember. Make it a point to come in and give blood because we need those donors in the Dover to make sure the blood supply is there when it's needed, at the time it's needed. And we don't have to wait. Because if we wait, we may miss out on an opportunity to have the blood there when it's needed like I said. So the guidelines are fairly simple. Really easy to remember. Seventeen years old, a hundred and ten pounds and in fairly good health."