"May" We Tell You You ROCK?! (Remember! Both donors AND NON-donors are stars!)

[Nurvingiel]

Remember to give only to the Red Cross or your country's blood service - a hospital-run drive is gathering blood for use in their facility only, and they charge plenty for it.

Edited for clarity.

Would they pay you, in that case?

I'm Canadian, so this is a foreign concept to me. (I have to admit that the prospect of some dollars would be further motivation for me.)

[M-theory]

Remember to give only to the Red Cross or your country's blood service - a hospital-run drive is gathering blood for use in their facility only, and they charge plenty for it.

Edited for clarity.

Would they pay you, in that case?

I'm Canadian, so this is a foreign concept to me. (I have to admit that the prospect of some dollars would be further motivation for me.)

Nope, the hospital I'm thinking of runs blood donation drives just like the Red Cross, then uses the "proceeds" exclusively in their hospital. Many times I took the light rail to a Red Cross donation centre 1.5 hours from home rather than give to that hospital directly.

You can sell your plasma, but I never did so because the place I visited seemed dodgy.

[Nurvingiel]

Remember to give only to the Red Cross or your country's blood service - a hospital-run drive is gathering blood for use in their facility only, and they charge plenty for it.

Edited for clarity.

Would they pay you, in that case?

I'm Canadian, so this is a foreign concept to me. (I have to admit that the prospect of some dollars would be further motivation for me.)

Nope, the hospital I'm thinking of runs blood donation drives just like the Red Cross, then uses the "proceeds" exclusively in their hospital. Many times I took the light rail to a Red Cross donation centre 1.5 hours from home rather than give to that hospital directly.

You can sell your plasma, but I never did so because the place I visited seemed dodgy.

Yeah, I'd stick with the Red Cross. The plasma place makes me think that you could sell them a kidney too.

[M-theory]

Remember to give only to the Red Cross or your country's blood service - a hospital-run drive is gathering blood for use in their facility only, and they charge plenty for it.

Edited for clarity.

Would they pay you, in that case?

I'm Canadian, so this is a foreign concept to me. (I have to admit that the prospect of some dollars would be further motivation for me.)

Nope, the hospital I'm thinking of runs blood donation drives just like the Red Cross, then uses the "proceeds" exclusively in their hospital. Many times I took the light rail to a Red Cross donation centre 1.5 hours from home rather than give to that hospital directly.

You can sell your plasma, but I never did so because the place I visited seemed dodgy.

Yeah, I'd stick with the Red Cross. The plasma place makes me think that you could sell them a kidney too.

My thoughts ran more towards getting mugged while hooked up to the apheresis machine, but yeah.

[Dindrane]

I don't know about other places, but it does cost money to receive blood in the US.  However, I think that if you are a blood donor, they will give you free units up to the number you have donated (so, for instance, I have donated 3, and could get up to 3 units for free if I ever needed a blood transfusion).  I was also under the impression that I can donate blood, and then tell the blood bank that I want my "credit" to apply to members of my family as well as myself.

Does that sound completely crazy to any other US ehellions?  I can't figure out if that's true or not by looking it up online (and I realize I could very well be wrong).

[M-theory]

I don't know about other places, but it does cost money to receive blood in the US.  However, I think that if you are a blood donor, they will give you free units up to the number you have donated (so, for instance, I have donated 3, and could get up to 3 units for free if I ever needed a blood transfusion).  I was also under the impression that I can donate blood, and then tell the blood bank that I want my "credit" to apply to members of my family as well as myself.

Does that sound completely crazy to any other US ehellions?  I can't figure out if that's true or not by looking it up online (and I realize I could very well be wrong).

Yes, it does cost money to get blood. But by giving to the Red Cross or blood service rather than a hospital, you're giving your blood the best chance at being distributed to hospitals across all strata of society.

Dindrane, I'm an American and have done most of my blood-giving in the U.S., and I've never heard of that - it doesn't seem like something hospitals would do, since their motive is often profit. That's so neat if it is true, though.

[Dindrane]

Yes, it does cost money to get blood. But by giving to the Red Cross or blood service rather than a hospital, you're giving your blood the best chance at being distributed to hospitals across all strata of society.

Dindrane, I'm an American and have done most of my blood-giving in the U.S., and I've never heard of that - it doesn't seem like something hospitals would do, since their motive is often profit. That's so neat if it is true, though.

That depends somewhat on where you live.  Right now, I live in an area that has exactly two hospitals - one for-profit one that is rather small and doesn't have much of a trauma center, and one large non-profit one that has the only Level II trauma center in a 60 mile radius.  If the larger hospital had a blood drive, even if that hospital was the only entity that used the blood, it would have almost as much reach as donating at the local blood center.

But, in the very large city I used to live in, there were probably dozens of hospitals (and at least a few major hospital networks with multiple locations), so a hospital that decided to keep all of its blood-drive blood for itself would mean it all had a much more limited impact than the local blood center.  I'd guess that would be true in any area that had at least 2 competitive hospitals.

I think you may be right about hospitals motivated by profit, but I do know that there are still a lot out there that are non-profit.  However, it could still be wishful thinking fueled by misinformation on my part that gave me the idea that you can get "credit" for blood donated in case you ever need to receive it.

[Seven Ate Nine]

I don't know about other places, but it does cost money to receive blood in the US.  However, I think that if you are a blood donor, they will give you free units up to the number you have donated (so, for instance, I have donated 3, and could get up to 3 units for free if I ever needed a blood transfusion).  I was also under the impression that I can donate blood, and then tell the blood bank that I want my "credit" to apply to members of my family as well as myself.

Does that sound completely crazy to any other US ehellions?  I can't figure out if that's true or not by looking it up online (and I realize I could very well be wrong).

In my experience, it doesn't work quite that way.   I do know someone who received blood donated only by family, and was still charged for it.  The family made quite a stink about it, and threatened to stop donating completely (several of them gave very regularly).  At that point the hospital did drop the charges.

[afbluebelle]

Giving blood is awesome.  It is a huge trippy moment when you meet the perosn who recieved your blood.   Especially when it literally was almost a work in process.

Trauma incident on deployment.  If the need is bad enough, the Big VOice will pop off on base tellign blood donors to proceed immediately to the hospital.  I have extra blood running around to begin with, a really common type, and I don't ever get woozy or need the cookies.  Plus I lived next door to the hospital.  I made it first in line

They were pumping my blood into the guy when it was still warm...  Creepy but pretty cool.  He said he'll spot me a few pints if the situation arises

[Samantha]

I donated with the Red Cross when they came to the place I used to work.

More recently I've donated at the local hospital, with the blood being for my Uncle (prior to his death), and my Grandma. I donate specifically to them/their account, as they are charged if they require more than I think three units of blood while in the hospital.

I'm currently unable to donate, as I was recently diagnosed as anemic (I found out a week before I was to donate). They told me that they check iron levels before taking blood, and I said that I know they do that... but that my doctor told me that I need my blood more than they do right now.

[cass2591]

They were pumping my blood into the guy when it was still warm... 

I hope you're embellishing a bit, because blood still needs to be typed and crossed, tested for diseases, etc. It can't be infused immediately from one person to another. At least not in the US of A.

[M-theory]

That depends somewhat on where you live.  Right now, I live in an area that has exactly two hospitals - one for-profit one that is rather small and doesn't have much of a trauma center, and one large non-profit one that has the only Level II trauma center in a 60 mile radius.  If the larger hospital had a blood drive, even if that hospital was the only entity that used the blood, it would have almost as much reach as donating at the local blood center.

But, in the very large city I used to live in, there were probably dozens of hospitals (and at least a few major hospital networks with multiple locations), so a hospital that decided to keep all of its blood-drive blood for itself would mean it all had a much more limited impact than the local blood center.  I'd guess that would be true in any area that had at least 2 competitive hospitals.

I think you may be right about hospitals motivated by profit, but I do know that there are still a lot out there that are non-profit.  However, it could still be wishful thinking fueled by misinformation on my part that gave me the idea that you can get "credit" for blood donated in case you ever need to receive it.

You're right, I am generalizing and being short-sighted - it's just that where I'm from, hospitals are big business. So I tend to default towards giving to a nonhospital organization.

[afbluebelle]

They were pumping my blood into the guy when it was still warm...  

I hope you're embellishing a bit, because blood still needs to be typed and crossed, tested for diseases, etc. It can't be infused immediately from one person to another. At least not in the US of A.

The hospital was Trauma in a deployed location.  You get your blood typed and tested when you sign up, and go in at minimum once every two weeks to get retested.  It is meant for mass trauma when you need a lot of blood, and the hospital doesn't have that kind of storage capabilities when a convoy is hit.

So no, the tech said it was literally still warm.  They took it, did two paper tests that I have no idea what they were, but assume it was important, and walked quickly away.


I'm sorry I didn't add the background info.  I forget that most people don't know the details of donating while deployed  You guys are the only not military involved friends I have

[cass2591]

Hospitals, even non profit ones, are a business. But in my 160 years of nursing I never saw anybody get blood in order to make a buck for the hospital.

As for the situation described above, where a family refused to pay for the blood given, please remember a lot goes into donating/transfusing blood. There are labs, lab techs, nurses, etc, involved in the process. Just because someone you know gives the blood does not make it immune. It still has to be tested.

[M-theory]

Hospitals, even non profit ones, are a business. But in my 160 years of nursing I never saw anybody get blood in order to make a buck for the hospital.

Sorry, I don't believe that there's no markup in a for-profit hospital. Perhaps I'm cynical from following the progress of people who die because they can't afford chemotherapy.