One can become a blood or platelet donor at the Blood Donor Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. I-los-angeles tells more about what to keep in mind.
Essential tips on donors’ safety
The donor must meet the following criteria:
- be older than 17 years
- the weight of the donor must be more than 50 kilograms
- the donor needs to have a photo ID with them;
- the donor must meet the criteria for recent journeys.
One can learn more about blood donor qualifications in the newsletter. The instruction for blood donors notes that it is necessary to drink as much liquid as possible, eat healthy food and not fast the day before the donation. Donors of platelets should remember not to use medicines containing ibuprofen, aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs two days before the planned donation.
Schedule and online registration
It is possible to make an appointment for donation in advance on the official website of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The donor reception schedule is as follows.
- Blood donors are accepted at the Center on Mondays and Tuesdays from 7:00 AM. to 3:30 PM, on Wednesdays from 11:00 AM to 6:30 PM, on Thursdays and Fridays from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM and on Saturdays from 6:00 AM to 1:30 PM
- Platelet donors are accepted on Mondays and Tuesdays from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM, on Wednesdays from 11:00 AM to 6:30 PM, on Thursdays and Fridays from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and on Saturdays from 6:00 AM to noon.
Sunday is a day off.
Donors who donate more than 10 gallons of platelets and five gallons of whole blood are added to the board of honor on the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles website.
I can’t donate blood, but I want to help. What shall I do?
If you feel the desire to help but you cannot physically donate blood yourself, then there are the following options.
- Organization of supporting campaigns. You can always encourage others to donate blood. It is worth remembering the permissible norms. It is no more than 0.5 liters of blood once every eight weeks.
- Information dissemination also helps. Donation is important for sick, injured children and adults. You can share this data, for example, at school, at work, at the church or synagogue you go to. You can call the clinic and get the necessary informational materials for encouragement.
- Volunteering. Residents of Los Angeles can donate their time and become one of the clinic’s volunteers.
- Another option for those who can afford it is a monetary gift and financial support. Thanks to it, clinic workers will be able to take care of children, sick or injured, even more efficiently and diligently.
Blood donation process
If you are just planning this visit, then the following information will be useful for Los Angeles residents.
In general, this process will take approximately 45 minutes. You need to be prepared for the fact that a medical professional will ask you about your medical history and health, check your vital signs such as blood pressure and pulse, body temperature and take a blood sample.
The next stage will be the blood donation itself, which will last about 15 minutes. During this time you should relax. It has been proven that the body begins to restore blood reserves almost immediately. Still, it is allowed to be a donor no more than once every eight weeks.
After the procedure, the donor receives cookies and juice and validation for parking. Upon coming to the Blood Donor Center for the second time, the resident of Los Angeles will receive a donor identification card to save time during subsequent visits.
Hospital employees, as well as patients, are grateful to those who continue to give life to others by donating blood. If you have any questions, you can always call the hospital: 323-361-2441.