If you’ve received the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19, you are still eligible to donate blood!
Additionally, please note that, even as the CDC eases guidelines on masking for fully-vaccinated individuals, SBC still requires ALL donors to be masked throughout the donation process, including while waiting outside of a mobile/bus blood drive.
Learn more at stanfordbloodcenter.org/covid-19.
Did you know…?
About every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.
That means, this many people have needed blood since you arrived here:
Blood Donation: How It Works
Before your appointment:
- Always be sure to drink plenty of water before donating blood!
- Eat an iron-rich meal. Eating enough iron is essential to ensuring that your hemoglobin level is right for donating. You can check out some tips on getting enough iron here.
- Bring your donor ID. If you have a donor ID, be sure to bring it with you to your appointment. First-time donors or returning donors without a donor ID card should bring a valid state-issued photo identification.
Avoid alcohol and fatty foods for 24 hours, and aspirin (if donating platelets) for 48 hours, before your donation.
The Donation Process
Congratulations, you made an appointment to donate blood and save lives! So what happens now? There are four basic steps to every blood donation:
- Registration
- Medical History
- Donation
- Rest & Refreshments
After your blood donation:
- Always be sure to drink plenty of water to rehydrate.
- Sit down or lie down if you feel lightheaded or dizzy. Call our post-donation callback line at (650) 725-9968 if you feel unwell.
- Rest and replenish iron. We recommend you take an iron supplement and/or eat foods rich in iron combined with a source of vitamin C after your donation.
Avoid alcoholic beverages and vigorous exercise for at least 24 hours after donating, and be sure to keep that bandage on for a few hours!
Please call our post-donation callback line at (650) 725-9968 immediately if you:
- feel that your blood should not be given to a patient;
- are not sure that your blood is safe;
- develop a fever within 24 hours after donating;
- have any illness within two weeks of your donation; or
- are diagnosed by a physician as having West Nile, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, or Ebola virus Infection.
HEMOBLOGIN: THE SBC BLOG
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FAQ on COVID-19 and Blood Donation
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Purple for Platelets: Supporting Patients With Platelet Disorders
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How to “Stick” With It: Milestone Donors’ Tips for Making Donation a Lifelong Habit
By Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist, with contributions from donors Cheryl Basinger, Brian Edwards and Audrey Gold When asked if we want to help save lives, the answer will, of course, be a resounding yes. And even when we’re asked to give blood, we may be game to sign up for an initial appointment, too. But,...
Behind the Scenes at SBC: The When & Why of Campaigns
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Zoe’s Story: “Cancer’s tough… But I’m tougher.”
By Krista Thomas, Communications Strategist August 5, 2020, was one of the most frightening days of Jennifer Yu’s and Tom Li’s lives. It was on that Wednesday that they found out what had started as just frequent bloody noses in their eight-year-old daughter, Zoe, was a sign of something far scarier and far deadlier than…
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