How to Give Blood

It only takes 30 to 45 minutes to give blood, which includes the screening process and having a snack afterwards. It’s safe and simple. And your blood donation will help save lives!

To give blood, you must be 17 years or older, weigh at least 110 pounds and feel healthy, with no cold or flu symptoms. If you're on medication, you still may be able to give blood. Call Houchin Community Blood Bank to find out if you can donate.

Whole blood donors can return every 8 weeks to give blood.

If you have questions regarding your eligibility to donate blood and would like to discuss it with a Blood Center staff member please call 661-323-4222 or toll free 1-877-364-5844.

How your blood saves lives

Platelets are essential for blood clotting. They are routinely needed to support cancer therapy, open-heart surgery, blood disorders and organ transplants. Platelets must be transfused within five days, requiring the supply to be constantly replenished.

Red blood cells carry oxygen to all parts of the body. They are most needed after significant blood loss through trauma, surgery or anemia.

A red cell donation is typically transfused within 5 days, so the need for this component is ongoing. Blood type O- is the universal red blood cell donor.

Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood containing critical clotting factors. Plasma is used to treat patients with certain bleeding disorders and for plasma exchanges. Blood type AB is the universal plasma donor.

Maximize Your Donation

New process maximizes your blood donation
As part of its efforts to improve the blood supply, Houchin Blood Bank has added a new technology that allows blood donors to optimize their donation. This technology targets the exact blood components needed based on local patient needs — maximizing each donor’s gift.

When a person gives blood, they can either donate whole blood or blood components through automation.

The new equipment, designed by Gambro BCT, is called the Trima Automated Blood Collection System. With it, Houchin is able to tailor blood donations to community needs.

Blood is made up of numerous components including red blood cells, platelets and plasma. In the past, when a person donated whole blood, the blood had to be separated into the various components and one unit of whole blood only provided one dose of red blood cells and small amounts of other components. Now, through automation, a donor can give full, therapeutic doses of the components needed most by patients without any risk to the donor.

With this new technology, Houchin is able to collect full therapeutic units of red blood cells, platelets and plasma, from a single donor. Most donors can provide at least two therapeutic units of the most needed components – but some can provide three to four units. Unlike whole blood donations, whatever component is not collected or needed is returned safely to the donor, therefore allowing blood centers to collect more needed blood components from fewer donors.

About Your Blood Type

About your blood type. What's your type?

O Postive: If you're O Postive, you are in the majority, with 37.4 percent of the population in the United States falling into this category. One in every third person is O Positive.

O Negative: People with the O Negative blood type make up less than 7 percent of the population. Only one in every 15 people has O Negative blood.

A Positive: This blood type is almost as common as the frontrunner, O Positive. People with A Positive blood make up 35.7 percent of the population. One in every third person is A Positive.

A Negative: A Negative is another rare blood type, with one in every 16 people having this blood type. Only 6.3 percent of the population is A Negative.

B Positive: If you're B Positive, you blood type matches 8.5 percent of the population. One in every 12 people will have B Positive blood.

B Negative: B Negative is the second rarest of the blood types. One in every 67 people has B Negative blood. Only 1.5 percent of the population has B Negative in their veins.

AB Positive: Those with AB Positive blood make up 3.4 percent of the population. One in every 29 people has AB Positive blood.

AB Negative: If you're AB Negative, you are indeed special. You are the only person with your blood type out of 167 people. Only .6 percent of the population has AB Negative blood.

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