Facts about donating blood

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Kare Bears partners with Vitalant, a non profit organization formally known as United Blood Services, to coordinate blood drives in PebbleCreek. Vitalant has been the exclusive blood supplier for Arizona for over 75 years, supplying 100% of the blood to all hospitals in Maricopa County. 

PebbleCreek and Vitalant have provided this essential service for several years through the generosity of our residents. One fourth of all blood collected goes to patients during cancer treatments. 

Blood facts: 

• Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body’s weight 
• There are 10 to 12 pints of blood in the body of an average adult 
• One in 7 people entering a hospital will need blood 
• Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood 
• Blood travels through 60,000 miles of vessels inside you, enough to wrap around the earth’s equator roughly 2.5 times 
• Your body makes 180 million red blood cells per hour 
• Red blood cells live about 120 days in the circulatory system 
• Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body and must be transfused into a patient within 42 days 
• Platelets promote blood clotting and must be used within five days 
• Plasma is 92 percent water, carries nutrients throughout the body and can be frozen up to one year 
• Blood or plasma that comes from people who have been paid for it is not used for human transfusion. Instead, it’s made into pharmaceutical products

Blood Donation Requirements

You may be wondering if you can donate blood. Donating blood is safe and easy to do, but there are a few basic requirements to donate blood. If you're in good health and meet the general eligibility blood donation requirements, then you are likely able to give blood. If you've recently gotten a tattoo, traveled abroad or take medications, chances are you can still donate blood, please discuss with Vitalant staff. 

Why are there requirements to donate blood? Eligibility requirements are important to help ensure the safety of both the blood donor and blood recipient. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established blood donation requirements to keep the blood supply safe from bloodborne diseases and also keep patients safe from anything in a donor’s blood (such as a medication) that could harm them. These blood donation requirements also protect donors by making sure they are physically able to safely donate.

Blood donations save lives every day, and donors are needed every day. About 62 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate at any one time but only 3 percent do so. If you don’t meet the blood donation requirements today or receive a deferral, we encourage you to come back and check again. You will likely be eligible to donate blood in the future and the need for blood never stops.

Basic Requirements and Recommendations: 

1. Must be at least 16 years old
2. Must weigh at least 110lbs
3. Bring your ID
4. Eat within 2 hours of your donation
5. Drink plenty of non-alcoholic liquids
6. Wait 8 weeks between whole blood donations

Upcoming blood drives in PebbleCreek: 

November 26: Eagle's Nest Palm Room