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Choosing Your Own Blood Donors
We take extraordinary steps to assure a safe community blood supply. Still, if you are scheduled for surgery, you may
want to select the people who donate blood for you. Directed donation gives you that choice.
What You Do as a Patient
First, complete and submit the Directed Donor Request Form. Once we have received it, we will enter the donors’ names
in the computer so that we can identify them when they come in.
The procedure is a bit different for patients who are age two or younger. In this case, you will need a Physician's Order
For Directed Donations For Pediatric Patients, which the patient's doctor must sign and return to the blood center.
The next step is a mandatory transfusion blood test, which allows us to conduct cross matching and compatibility tests.
(Blood "type" is only part of the answer.) A blood center representative can make an appointment for you, unless you are
already in the hospital, in which case the doctor must order the test.
What the Directed Donor Does
No more than one week and no less than two days before the scheduled transfusion, the donor comes to any of our locations
during normal operating hours, making certain to bring the label.
Appointments are encouraged, but not required, and the donor should allow 45 minutes to an hour for the procedure. We can
also type the donor's blood in advance. It takes only a few minutes for a small blood sample, but there is a fee for this
service, payable in cash. (Please call any blood center for current fees.)
What the Blood Center Does
We process and test donated blood, attach a directed donation tag that directs it to you and deliver it to your hospital or
outpatient center for transfusion.
If the schedule changes for any reason, make sure the blood center representative is notified. We will hold the donated
blood up to seven days prior to expiration and then place the units in general blood supply.
When Directed Donation Isn't Practical
For medical reasons, directed donation is not recommended for:
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A husband donating for his wife of childbearing age
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A donor who has previously donated for the same patient
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Parents of children with congenital anemia
In addition, a donor's blood may not be compatible with the patient's. If the ABO and Rh typing are not safe for the
intended patient, we will make the directed donation available to another patient.
There may be other medical considerations that require a blood center physician's evaluation. If you have any questions,
please contact your Patient Coordinator/Counselor.
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