Blood donation...

duckmanJR

I was at the store just now and the " Big Red Bus" was there ..offering a "free tee shirt" to donate.

I vaguely recall that basicly this is a business...and that they "mine" the blood...and sell it to Hospitals, surgery centers etc...and blood that is not salable as "whole blood" is processed for other blood products. Naturally, the "cost" is passed on to the end consumer ( me and you)

So, while it is important that we donate blood...maybe it is important WHERE you donate..

Can anyone elaborate?

Polar

everytime I touch a tool, I donate blood somehow or another

rock_fish

Polar wrote: »

everytime I touch a tool, I donate blood somehow or another

Stop touching duckmanJR then

Polar

:rotflmao

gandrfab

I'm type 0-1 and when I needed blood they had none. Plasma saved me.

fishknut

I cant donate, I was a guest of the Army in Germany from '87 - 90 and Germany got its beef from England who happened to have a mad cow disease break out at that time. I was told they don't know how long MC lays dormant, so my blood is no bueno.

duckmanJR

I think my real issue is that they are getting something for free (less expenses ) ....Then, They sell it at exorbitant rates. Many have insurance which pays but...that drives up health care costs.....

hatcity

collection, testing, storage, centrifuging for other blood products, and then transport to hospital for use.

just to be sure-the American Red Cross is NOT allowed to do blood donations here in Flori-duh

rock_fish

fishknut wrote: »

I cant donate, I was a guest of the Army in Germany from '87 - 90 and Germany got its beef from England who happened to have a mad cow disease break out at that time. I was told they don't know how long MC lays dormant, so my blood is no bueno.

I got hep D or e in Kyrgyzstan. They wanted to buy my plasma to study it. I don't donate either.

I also pass out

Mango Man

I won't get into the politics of the business but donate regularly. If it saves a vet's, mailmans, butchers life then all is good.

Baits Out

Until I got so **** old, I used to donate regularly via the local memorial hospital.

Now just donate semen, to spread the wealth of my Italian genetic heritage.

cpr

You can give and "bank" it for future needs. Im pretty sure if you need blood in the future you don't pay for the units in the bank.

gandrfab

cpr wrote: »

You can give and "bank" it for future needs. Im pretty sure if you need blood in the future you don't pay for the units in the bank.

I have read someplace you can bank enough in your life you can't be denied blood if you need it.
That might have been part of why when I was a kid they didn't have any type O for me.

duckmanJR

I know if you are going in for a planned surgery..you can bank your own for your use...you can also get family to donate to YOUR bank.

What I was saying was it seems a bit shady to give someone a free tee shirt....then sell the blood at a huge profit.

MRichardson

My son saw that bus one time when he was about 5. Asked what it was, I told him it's a bus where you go in and they take out some of your blood. He was horrified. Asked why they would do that. I said to feed disabled vampires who can't get out and about anymore. Then the conversation shifted I guess and I never did straighten him out about that until I got a note from his teacher saying he had repeated my story when they were discussing a blood drive or something. Oops.

duckmanJR

MRichardson wrote: »

My son saw that bus one time when he was about 5. Asked what it was, I told him it's a bus where you go in and they take out some of your blood. He was horrified. Asked why they would do that. I said to feed disabled vampires who can't get out and about anymore. Then the conversation shifted I guess and I never did straighten him out about that until I got a note from his teacher saying he had repeated my story when they were discussing a blood drive or something. Oops.

:rotflmao

Pescatoral Pursuit

Giving blood was something i thought about doing for many years. Went to church one morning and the big red bus was there so figured it was a good a time as any. Everything went off without a hitch and I got a couple of movie tickets for my generosity.

Next year rolls around and instead of the bus they have the gymnasium looking like a triage facility, with what looked like their b or c team manning it. I was leery about giving that day and if I had to do it over would have just walked out.

The girl who took my blood was dressed in a burqua without the facemask. I thought that was kinda provocative on the part of the red cross as I could not imagine them allowíng a nun wearing a habit to draw blood from folk at a mosque.

The idea of them selling for profit something they got essentially for free from me, combined with my last experience has led me not to donate blood again.

On a related note: I've always been listed as an organ donor, and once you get past the fluffy do-good feeling, your estate is giving up significant wealth to part ways with your organs gratis. "But it will save a life!" If that is the only reason for giving them away, why isn't anyone else involved in the process also giving it away?

Jay G

I try to go to the OneBlood location as soon as I notice I'm eligible to give again. Every eight weeks. I never gave before May of 2012, but decided to get over my dislike of needles and give it a go at a BMX blood drive. I did and it wasn't bad, so no big deal. Then they tell me that I'm a A- blood type. Only about 6% of the population is A-. To further guilt me into giving more I am a baby donor. I haven't been exposed to cytomegalovirus, and as such it is preferred that babies get CMV free blood. I've given 11 times, and I will be going again on Thursday as it's my eight week mark from my last donation. Thanks for the reminder to check. I knew it was May sometime.

And who doesn't like a free shirt? And it's not evil like I'm supporting Wal-Mart or anything. :shrug

Jay

NewberryJeff

Your donation is a gift to someone who will benefit from it.

The collection, processing, storage, and distribution of blood/tissue/organs is highly regulated and expensive. It requires a staff of doctors, nurses, lab techs + other specialized employees and significant facility capital.

Take the profit out and we're stuck with another .gov failure.

Pescatoral Pursuit

I don't mind that it is for profit. That is not the issue. The issue is why do donors have to donate to a for profit venture?

Is the iron donated to a steel mill? Are the needles donated for the transfusion? How much is a pint of blood at the user end, that paying for the raw product then puts the price out of reach for the recipient? Most recipients? Any recipients?

Fish Haid

Pfftt!!!

The money they make on your "donated" blood, is trivial compared to the money they make on your "organ donor" corpse!

Schmidty

rock_fish wrote: »

I got hep D or e in Kyrgyzstan. They wanted to buy my plasma to study it. I don't donate either.

I also pass out

How much do you have to drink before that happens?

David B

cpr wrote: »

You can give and "bank" it for future needs. Im pretty sure if you need blood in the future you don't pay for the units in the bank.

I did this before I started my cancer treatments and surgeries.

I know several folks who lives have been saved by blood donations. As with any other life saving medical procedures, few if any really give a **** if they have to pay for the blood.
One can only hope that they never need it.
I know and realize that not everyone can or will donate blood. It is those that do, that have made a huge difference to so many others.

David B

http://www.bloodcenters.org/docs/bloodfacts.pdf

56 facts about blood.

MRichardson

NewberryJeff wrote: »

Your donation is a gift to someone who will benefit from it.

It's a gift to the donee "non-profit" organization. The person who benefits from it will pay dearly for it.

The rampant looting of the coffers at FL Blood Centers by their executive team is well documented.

Team Sabatage

Pescatoral Pursuit wrote: »

Giving blood was something i thought about doing for many years. Went to church one morning and the big red bus was there so figured it was a good a time as any. Everything went off without a hitch and I got a couple of movie tickets for my generosity.

Next year rolls around and instead of the bus they have the gymnasium looking like a triage facility, with what looked like their b or c team manning it. I was leery about giving that day and if I had to do it over would have just walked out.

The girl who took my blood was dressed in a burqua without the facemask. I thought that was kinda provocative on the part of the red cross as I could not imagine them allowíng a nun wearing a habit to draw blood from folk at a mosque.

The idea of them selling for profit something they got essentially for free from me, combined with my last experience has led me not to donate blood again.

On a related note: I've always been listed as an organ donor, and once you get past the fluffy do-good feeling, your estate is giving up significant wealth to part ways with your organs gratis. "But it will save a life!" If that is the only reason for giving them away, why isn't anyone else involved in the process also giving it away?

Almost like oil, huh?

tankard

Team Sabatage wrote: »

Almost like oil, huh?

How stupid can you be? Seriously.

Fish Haid

Team Sabatage wrote: »

Almost like oil, huh?

Almost like Red Snapper, huh?

duckmanJR

MRichardson wrote: »

It's a gift to the donee "non-profit" organization. The person who benefits from it will pay dearly for it.

The rampant looting of the coffers at FL Blood Centers by their executive team is well documented.

That is what I was getting at in my original post...seem to remember that it was run as a business with some outrageous salaries to the execs...

And while there is no question that it is important to have this "commodity"...shouldn't there be some regulation to prevent this...

And a Tee shirt?...Really?... for something you are going to charge the price of 100 tee shirts for?

Team Sabatage

Fish Haid wrote: »

Almost like Red Snapper, huh?

Exactly.

flattitude

I had been a regular donator until my surgeries (2 ortho one abdominal) I was allowed to donate to myself for the last surgery but cannot donate for another few years. Apparently you can't donate within x number of years of a surgery or a tattoo/piercing. That being said I will hold out for at least comedy corner or movie tickets. I have plenty of shirts.