1. Maintain a healthy iron level in your diet by eating iron rich foods, such as spinach, fish, poultry, beans, iron-fortified cereals and raisins.
2. Get a good night’s sleep.
3. Drink an extra glass of water or fluids before the donation.
4. Eat a healthy meal before your donation. Avoid fatty foods, such as burgers, fries or ice cream before donating. Tests for infections done on all donated blood can be affected by fats that appear in your blood for several hours after eating fatty foods.
5. If you are a platelet donor, remember that your system must be free of aspirin for two days prior to donation.
6. Remember to bring your donor card, driver’s license or some forms of ID.

1. Wear clothing with sleeves that can be raised above the elbow.
2. Let the phlebotomist (individuals trained to draw blood samples for medical testing) know if you have a preferred arm and show the staff any good veins that you have used successfully in the past to draw blood.
3. Relax, listen to music, talk to other donors or read during the donation process.
4. Take the time to enjoy a snack and a drink in the refreshments area immediately after donating.

1. Drink plenty of fluids over the next 24-48 hours to replenish any fluids you lost during donation.
2. Avoid strenuous physical activity or heavy lifting for about five hours after donation especially arm thru which you have donated blood.
3. If you feel light headed, lie down, preferably with feet elevated, until the feeling passes.
4. In rare cases when bleeding occurs after removing the bandage, apply pressure to the site and raise your arm for 3-5 minutes. If bleeding or bruising occurs under the skin, apply a cold pack to the area periodically during the first 24 hours.
5. If for any reason something doesn’t feel right, contact the blood bank on number provided to you after your donation.
6. Enjoy the good feeling that comes with knowing that you may have saved as many as three lives.

1. Donor registers
2. Health history and mini physical are completed
3. About 1 pint of blood and several small test tubes are collected from each donor
4. The bag, test tubes and the donor record are labeled with an identical bar code label to keep track of the donation.
5. The donation is stored in iced coolers until it is transported to Blood Bank

1. Donated blood is scanned into a computer database
2. Most blood is spun in centrifuges to separate the transfusable components – red cells, platelets, and plasma
3. The primary components like plasma can be further manufactured into components such as cryoprecipitate.
4. Red cells are then leuko-reduced.
5. Single donor platelets are leukoreduced and bacterially tested.
6. Test tubes are sent for testing.

1. Steps 2 and 3 take place in parallel
2. The test tubes are received in Blood Bank Laboratories
3. A dozen tests are performed on each unit of donated blood – to establish the blood type and test for infectious diseases
4. Test results are communicated to the manufacturing facility within 24 hours.
5. If a test result is positive, the unit is discarded and the donor is notified. Test results are confidential and are only shared with the donor, except as may be required by law

1. When test results are received, units suitable for transfusion are labeled and stored
2. Red Cells are stored in refrigerators at 6ºC for up to 42 days
3. Platelets are stored at room temperature in agitators for up to five days.
4. Plasma and cryo are frozen and stored in freezers for up to one year

Blood is available to be shipped to hospitals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.