|
|
DATE: March 30, 2005
RED CROSS IMPLEMENTS NEW DONOR SCREENING QUESTIONNAIRE AT UPCOMING BLOOD DRIVES
Volunteer donors and sponsors will find it easier to save lives as the American Red Cross Great Lakes Region Blood Services joins blood bankers nationwide in launching a new, standardized questionnaire for screening blood donors. “The wording is simplified and more user-friendly,” says the Region’s Director of Collections Martha Shaver of the Uniform Donor History Questionnaire that debuted March 20. “The consensus is that the questionnaire is easier to understand and answer accurately—which is good for donors and recipients alike.”
Among the bigger content changes in the new questionnaire is current FDA thinking regarding the potential risk of Mad Cow Disease (vCJD), tattoos and medications. “If you’ve been ineligible to donate because of foreign travel or a recent tattoo, you may be eligible under the revised FDA criteria,” says Shaver, pointing out that tattoos received in state-regulated facilities are no longer cause for deferral. “And if you take medication, it will also be easier to assess your eligibility.”
The UDHQ represents an effort by all blood bankers in the United States to standardize the donor screening process. The American Association of Blood Banks and the FDA took the lead, but solicited input from industry players—including the American Red Cross.
The West Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross will hold the following upcoming blood drives:
|
DATES
|
TIMES
|
LOCATIONS
|
|
Wednesday, April 6
|
12 noon-5:45 p.m.
|
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Scottville
|
|
Friday, April 8
|
10 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
|
Memorial Medical Center, Ludington
|
All persons are encouraged to give blood. Potential donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds and be in good health. For more information on donating blood or on American Red Cross Blood Services, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
The American Red Cross is a participating agency with The United Way.
|
|
