Patients who may need to receive blood at Brigham and Women's Hospital can feel at ease knowing that we have our own Blood Donor Center on site.
All volunteer and directed donors are pre-screened for good health and possible exposure to infectious disease including hepatitis and HIV (AIDS). The units of blood are laboratory tested under FDA guidelines.
The Blood Donor Center's Hours are:
Monday through Thursday, 7:45 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Every Tuesday open until 7:00 p.m.
Friday, 7:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment,
please call the Blood Donor Center at (617) 732-6620 or
1-800-722-5520 ext. 2-6620.
Platelet donations can be made at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Kraft Family Donor Center. Please call (617) 632-3660 for more information.
Volunteer Donation
All blood types are always needed. Please encourage your family and friends to donate. Volunteers can give whole blood (a traditional blood donation), platelets or double red cells (a donation process allowing only those blood components needed for transfusion, with the remaining blood returned to you). Volunteers can give a special donation for the general population, or "In Honor Of" a friend or loved one. Free "Thinking of You" cards are available at both the Blood Donor Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital blood drives.
Autologous Donation
If you are interested in donating your own blood prior to your surgery, please speak with your doctor, as this may be arranged for you at our Blood Donor Center. If you live far from the hospital, your doctor can arrange for you to donate your blood through the American Red Cross or a local blood center, which will then ship your blood to us. Brigham and Women's Hospital also has an active program for retaining the blood you may lose during and after surgery, which helps reduce the need for transfusion.
Directed Donation
Patients who need transfusions can choose their own blood donor, which is called directed donation. Please note that current medical evidence suggests that blood products from direct donors are no safer than screened, tested blood from volunteer donors. Your doctor must initiate the procedure, and the direct donor must use the Brigham and Women's Hospital Blood Donor Center. Your direct donor must make an appointment to donate blood at least five days before it is needed.
Prior to donating, all donors must be in good general health, feel well the day of donation, be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 100 pounds, have something to eat, and be well hydrated with non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated beverages.
