Blood Safety

Lines of Safety
The top priority of the American Red Cross Blood Services is safety - for both the blood donor and the transfusion recipient.

1. The Best Source
   Since all blood the Red Cross collects comes from healthy donors, any incentives that could induce an unhealthy person to donate are eliminated.
   
   
2. Education
   Before anyone donates blood, the Red Cross provides donors with a comprehensive list of risk behaviors for infectious diseases. Donors are encouraged to defer themselves if any of these reasons apply to them.
   
   
3. Pre-Check
   Using a hand-held computer, Red Cross staff cross checks the potential donor's social security number against the donor deferral registry to confirm that the individual is indeed eligible to donate on this date.
   
   
4. The Personal Interview
   Through personal interviews, Red Cross health professionals screen every single donor to determine whether there is any reason why that individual should not be donating. If even one reason is discovered, the person will not be allowed to donate.
   
   
5. The Donor Call Back Card
   The Red Cross provides every donor a card listing a toll-free number which he/she can call later if a donor learns of any reason why his/her blood should not be used. For example, if a donor comes down with flu symptoms soon after donating, the Red Cross should know to avoid transfusing a hospital patient with that blood.
   
   
6. Rigorous Laboratory Testing
   Only if a donation makes it through the first five safety steps does it enter the laboratory for testing.