Who benefits from a blood donation?
Blood is composed of several components, each of which is used to correct a specific deficiency in the patient. For example: Red blood cells - transfused to patients with anemia or massive bleeding. Platelets - transfused to patients bleeding from chemotherapy or surgery. Plasma - transfused to burn patients. Cyroprecipitate - transfused to hemophiliacs.
Donate four times a year!
"Be a Lifesaver"
BloodNetUSA's "Be a Lifesaver" program is designed to encourage and recognize donors giving at least four times in a calendar year. To join the "Be a Lifesaver" program, a donor agrees to four donations in a calendar year; this program forms
the foundation of BloodNetUSA's recruitment efforts. A special gift recognizes the participation in the "Be a Lifesaver" program.
Helping family and friends!
Directed donations
At times, a patient may request blood from a family member or friend; this is known as a directed donation. Although there is no scientific evidence to support the belief that a directed donation is a safer blood product, BloodNetUSA will make every effort to provide directed donations to patients requesting them. As with all regular blood donations, directed donors must meet all donor eligibility criteria and must pass all infectious disease testing. Both whole blood donations and apheresis donations can be directed to a specific patient. Specific guidelines are available through BloodNetUSA or the patient's physician.
Helping yourself!
Autologous donations
Prompted by their physician's suggestion, some patients may prefer to donate their own blood for an upcoming surgery. This is called autologous donation and is medically the safest blood for a patient. Recognizing the advantages of autologous donations, BloodNetUSA is eager to provide this service. Certain mandatory guidelines are necessary in order to facilitate the procurement of autologous donations. Specific guidelines are available through BloodNetUSA or the patient's physician.