Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility and Donation Collection
Is donating blood safe?
Needles and bags used to collect blood are used only once and are then discarded,
eliminating the possibility of blood-borne disease transmission to donors. Healthy,
well-hydrated whole-blood donors rarely experience light-headedness immediately
after donating. Apheresis donors occasionally may experience nausea after donation.
For these reasons, donors are strongly encouraged to sit for a snack and beverage
when their donation is completed.
Can I give if I have been turned down before?
Most of the reasons for which donors are deferred from giving blood are temporary,
not permanent. For example, one common reason for a deferral is low hematocrit level,
or the percentage of red cells found in whole blood. However, hematocrit levels
fluctuate daily and may be affected by what you eat, so a donor deferred one day
for a low level may very well be able to give blood a day or two later. Check the
eligibility requirements to see if you may be eligible to donate. A "mini-physical"
is given to all potential donors to ensure they are eligible to give blood on a
particular day.
How often can one give blood?
Regulations in the United States allow people to donate whole blood once every 56
days. The waiting period between donations can differ for other blood collection
procedures. For example, donating two units off red blood cells through an automated
system doubles the waiting time to 112 days. Donating only platelets through a process
called apheresis requires just a 3 day wait before a person is eligible to give
again.
How do I know if I am eligible to donate blood?
Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission in some states),
meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height)
and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. Please bring your
Red Cross blood donor card or other form of positive ID when you come to donate.
All donors will receive physical and health history reviews prior to donating. There
is no upper age limit on your ability to donate. Some of the conditions that require
a temporary deferral include: pregnancy, travel to certain parts of the world, inoculations,
some health conditions and certain medications. Call 1-800-RED CROSS or check the
eligibility requirements to get answers to specific eligibility questions you may
have. Eligibility requirements may also vary from state to state. Final eligibility
is determined by Red Cross professional staff at the time of donation.
Are the health history questions and my test results confidential?
Yes. The health history will be conducted by a trained professional in an individual
booth arranged to preserve confidentiality. Once your blood is tested, if there
are any abnormal results to any of the administered standard tests, you will receive
confidential notification. The Red Cross maintains strict confidentiality of all
blood donor records.
What can I do if I am not eligible to donate?
While you may be unable to donate blood, there are other ways you can help. You
can help organize local blood drives, recruit other people to donate blood, or volunteer
at blood drives. You can also donate money to the Disaster Relief Fund, which helps
the Red Cross ensure that disaster victims across the country get the immediate
emergency resources they need. Learn more about how you can help.
How can I ensure a pleasant donation experience?
You'll want to get a good night's sleep the night before and make sure to eat breakfast
or lunch before your donation. Also, drink fluids like juice, milk, or soda ahead
of time. Take your normal medications as prescribed. Help ensure you have the adequate
hematocrit level by eating iron-rich foods such as red meat, poultry, fish, green
leafy vegetables, iron-fortified cereals, nuts, raisins and prunes. During your
donation, relax. After your donation, have some juice and cookies in the refreshment
area. After your donation, you can go about your daily activities, but avoid heavy
lifting or strenuous exercise for the remainder of the day.
Should I give blood now or wait until I am called?
Under normal circumstances eligible donors are encouraged to donate as frequently
as possible and are asked to make an appointment by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or scheduling an appointment online.
How long does it take to donate blood?
The whole process takes about an hour. It starts with registration, a health history
and a mini-physical. Then the actual donation occurs, which usually takes about
10-12 minutes. Afterward, you will be asked to spend a few minutes in the refreshment
area where you can have a light snack before returning to your normal activities.
How much blood is taken - won't it make me weak?
A blood donation equals approximately one pint of blood. The average adult body
has 10-12 pints. The vast majority of people will not feel any different because
of the donation. A very small percentage may experience temporary dizziness, but
some rest and fluids will help you feel better quickly. Your body will replace the
lost fluid within 24 hours.
What will happen to my blood after I donate?
Each blood donation is assigned a unique computer barcode number, which will identify
it throughout its path from the donor to a hospital patient. Immediately after the
blood donation, the blood is placed in transport containers designed to keep it
at a safe temperature until it reaches a Red Cross laboratory. Samples of the blood
donation are simultaneously sent to one of five Red Cross National Testing Laboratories
to be tested for transmissible diseases. In the testing lab, the unit of blood you
donated may be separated into its different components: red blood cells, platelets
and plasma, each of which serves a unique medical need. The products are then placed
in secure, temperature-controlled refrigeration units until test results are received
(usually within a day or two) and the blood is deemed safe for transfusion. From
local distribution centers, the blood is transported to hospitals based on patient
need. Hospital personnel then transfuse the blood or blood products to a patient
in need. If blood is determined to be unsafe it is not released for distribution.
Can I direct my blood donation to an individual?
Patients scheduled for surgery may be eligible to donate blood for themselves in
the weeks leading up to non-emergency surgery in a process known as autologous donation.
An autologous donation is not possible and cannot be used; family members and friends
can make directed donations if their blood type is compatible with the patient.
Directed donations are fully tested, so if they are not used by the intended patient,
they may be released for use by other patients. These collections procedures can
be quite costly.
Can I direct my blood donation to the military?
Blood donations collected by civilian agencies such as the American Red Cross are
provided to the Armed Services Blood Program upon request and as needed, to supply
specific blood products. In light of the fact that the military blood program is
essentially self-sufficient, that need is infrequent.
The Red Cross has a strong national network that helps us direct your blood donation to the areas of the country where they are most needed. While you can"t direct your donation to be specifically routed to military personnel, you can be sure that it will be sent to the areas of most critical need.
Points
Can I get points for my donations from previous years?
Although we greatly appreciate your past donations, Red Cross Racing is on a year-by-year basis. For this year's program you can enter any donations from: January 16, 2010 through January 24, 2011 at 11:59:59 PM CST.
Why can't I get points for plasma donations?
This program was established with the specific goal to increase blood and platelet donations for the Red Cross. Plasma donations, while greatly appreciated, are not currently one of the procedure types that Red Cross Racing will award points for.
Can I still get points even if I was deferred?
Yes. You can be rewarded points for presenting to donate, by selecting the 'I presented
but was unable to donate' checkbox on the Report a Donation page. To make the system
fair for everyone, it is set-up such that you still need to wait the same number
of days you would have to wait as if you donated (56 days between Whole Blood donations
and 112 days between Double Red donations) before you can report another donation.
You can get points either for presenting or for your actual donation, but not both.
How long do points pend for?
Once you report your donation, it will pend in the system for approx. 5-10 days
until your information is verified. You can view the status of your donations and
your donation history at any time by clicking on the "Manage My Account" link on
the right side of the homepage when you are logged in. Please log back in frequently
to check your point total.
I donated whole blood seven (7) times this year, how many points will I get?
You will receive 900 points for your 7th donation. Thank you for your
involvement in the program, your donations are highly valued.
How Do I exchange my points for a prize?
If you have been reporting your donations online, you will notice that when you
login your point total appears in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
If you have enough points to redeem for a prize, you can click on the prize you
want and a button that says "Get Prize" will appear.
Click the "get prize" button, select your quantity and size if applicable, and click
the Add to Cart button. After adding this item to your cart, a new line of text
will appear at the top of this window that says "Your shopping cart has X number
of item(s) worth X number of points. View cart" Click View cart, confirm your selection
and shipping address and complete your redemption.
Donations
How do I report a donation?
1. Sign in by entering your email and password
2. Once you are signed in you can click on the grey "Report a Donation" button towards the top of the page
3. A window will pop up where you can enter your donation information, simply fill out the form completely and click "submit"
4. Repeat the process as needed to report all donation dates
Prizes
Are these the only prizes available?
Yes. These are the only prizes available for the 2010 Donor Rewards program.
How do I exchange my points for prizes?
If you have been reporting your donations online, you will notice that when you
login your point total appears in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
If you have enough points to redeem for a prize, you can click on the prize you
want and a button that says "Get Prize" will appear in the center bottom of the
track image.
Once you click the "get prize" button, select your quantity and size if applicable,
and click the Add to Cart button.
After adding this item to your cart, a new line of text will appear at the top of
this window that says "Your shopping cart has X number of item(s) worth X number
of points. View cart"
Go directly to View Cart and complete your redemption. Confirm/Edit your shipping
address and personal information and note your order number. You will receive an
order confirmation email to the email address to which you are registered.
Other/Misc.
Do you have a toll free number to help those who don't have computer access?
We currently do not have a toll free number for donors who are members or interested
in becoming members of Red Cross Racing, as this is an online interactive
program. Therefore, I hope many of your donors are in a situation where their lack
of access is only temporary and they can get online at a family member's or friend's
computer on occasion. In that case, please advise these donors to go to the website
(when they can) to join, manage their membership activity and communicate to us
by clicking on the 'Contact Us' link. They can also send us their questions and
inquiries via email to
customerservice@redcrossracing.com.
If they do not have access to a computer at ANY time, it is not realistic for them
to participate. Unfortunately, without access to a computer they are not going to
experience the benefits of this exclusively web-based program.
I have a new email address. Where can I change my information?
To change your email address, please login to your account on Red Cross Racing and click the "Manage My Account" link on the right. You can then update your contact information and click Submit to save the changes. Once you have updated your email address, you will use that updated information to login to Red Cross Racing, effective immediately.
