Mayor Peter Ohtaki of Menlo Park rolls up his sleeve to help patients in our community.

Mayor Peter Ohtaki of Menlo Park rolls up his sleeve to help patients in our community. Photo by Norbert Van Der Groeben

Donating

You can donate the lifesaving gift of blood at one of our three locations, or at a blood drive near your community.


Types of Blood Donations

  • Whole Blood (More »)

    A whole blood donation is where a donor gives about one pint of blood. The actual "draw" takes around 7 minutes. After a donation, our lab may separate blood into its components: red cells, platelets, plasma, and white cells. Dividing donations into components allows us to provide exactly what hospitals need for patients.
  • Apheresis Blood Collection (ABC) (More »)

    Apheresis blood collection (ABC) is a procedure that only takes certain blood components from the donor and puts the rest of the blood back into the donor. An ABC donor can give red cells, plasma, platelets, or a combination of these components. The actual "draw time" depends on the donor and the type of donaiton; some ABC donations take 20 minutes and some take 1.5 hours. It's an efficient way to give patients in hospitals exactly the blood "products" they need.