Blood Center
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You can make a difference in someone’s life. Giving blood is one of the most precious gifts you can give and it is urgently needed now. If you are able to give blood, older than age 16, and weigh more than 110 pounds, you can help save lives by donating at Community Hospital’s Blood Center, located at 576 Hartnell Street, Monterey. Call today for an appointment, (831) 625-4814. |
For information about upcoming blood drives in your area.
This Web page is provided as a source of information and is not to be considered a replacement for the Informed Consent process prior to the transfusion of blood.
Blood Center Rotary Challenge
We would like to extend a special thank you to the Monterey Pacific Club. Members won the challenge for the second year in a row. Congradulations!
- About the Blood Center
- Hours of Operation
- Location
- Blood Donation
- About Blood Donation
- Donor Requirements
- How to Make an Appointment
- Blood Transfusions
- Autologous Blood
- Postoperative Autologous Transfusion
- Intraoperative Autologous Transfusion
- Apheresis
- Hemodilution
- Designated Donor Blood
- Volunteer Blood
About the Blood Center
Hours of Operation
The Blood Center is open Monday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Walk-ins are welcome.
Location
We are located in the Hartnell Professional Center
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula Blood Center
576 Hartnell Street, Suite 100
Monterey, CA 93940
Call for an appointment: (831) 625-4814.
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Blood Donation
About blood donation
Donating blood is one of the most generous gifts one person can give another. Through this simple act, someone in a very serious and vulnerable condition is given hope and the chance for another day.
To be a donor:
- You must be healthy — no colds, flu, infections, or illnesses. Remember, the person who will receive your blood is already in a compromised condition.
- You must not be at risk for AIDS or hepatitis, or participate in high-risk activity that may cause you to become infected with these diseases. Lab tests will not identify those in the “window period” or early stages of infection.
- You must weigh at least 110 pounds.
- You must be at least 17 years old. There is no upper age limit as long as you’re in good health. If you’re 75 and older and have never donated blood before, the Blood Center doctor can evaluate your medical history.
- You must eat and drink fluids 4 hours before donation. Donation takes about a pint of blood. Your body has approximately 8–10 pints, and lost fluids are replaced by drinking juice or water immediately after donation. You should also drink plenty of fluids the day after donating.
- You must provide your Social Security number and photo identification such as a driver’s license, passport, or state identification.
Traveling in countries with significant malaria, SARS, or other health risks may defer donation for a period of time. The Blood Center will answer any questions you have about travel deferrals.
To make an appointment:
Call the Blood Center at 625-4814.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday — 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
Monday and Thursday — 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
A blood donor may donate every 8 weeks.
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Blood Transfusions
Blood for Transfusions
This Web page provides information about the different ways blood can be obtained for a transfusion during surgery. Some surgeries require blood transfusions and some don’t. Although you have the right to refuse a blood transfusion, this decision may hold life-threatening consequences.
Please review this information thoroughly and decide with your doctor which option(s) are right for you. Your options may be limited by time and health factors, so it is important to begin discussing your options as soon as possible.
In some cases, you may require more blood for your surgery than anticipated. If this happens, and you receive blood other than your own, there is a remote possibility of complications, such as having a reaction to the transfusion or contracting a disease such as hepatitis or AIDS.
Autologous Blood
Autologous blood is blood that you donate for yourself. Before you come to the hospital for any elective surgery that requires a blood transfusion, you may donate your own blood and store it for your own use. This procedure decreases the small risk of contracting a disease from the transfusion or experiencing a reaction to the transfusion.
Community Hospital suggests that all patients consider donating their own blood. There are certain medical conditions, however, that may prevent you from donating your own blood. If you are anemic, have an unstable heart disease, or an infection, regulations prohibit the collection of your blood. Talk with your doctor to decide if autologous donation is appropriate for you. If so, ask your doctor to write an order for autodonation. This should state the number of units needed and the date of surgery. Then call the Blood Center at (831) 625-4814 to schedule an appointment.
Your final unit of blood should be donated at least five working days before your surgery so your body can restore normal blood volume. This also allows time for the Blood Center to complete all the necessary tests to be sure your blood can be used. Your blood will be tested for Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV), syphilis, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, and West Nile Virus.
Blood can be stored for 35 days in its liquid state but can be frozen for up to 10 years, so you may donate your blood months in advance of your surgery if necessary. The freezing and thawing process is available at an additional cost. Due to limited storage space, however, this option should be discussed in advance with the Blood Center and must be ordered by your doctor for a scheduled surgery.
If you do not qualify to donate for yourself, you may choose to receive blood from the community blood supply or ask friends or family members to donate for you. These donors must have a compatible blood type and meet the standards for blood donation.
Postoperative Autologous Transfusion
After some types of surgeries, your blood can be collected in sterile containers, filtered, and immediately returned to you or processed in a cell-washing system. This technique cannot be used when cancer or infection is present.
Intraoperative Autologous Transfusion
In certain cases, the blood you lose during surgery can be collected in a device called a semicontinuous centrifuge (sometimes called a cell-saver machine). This device washes the red cells free from body fluids, mixes them in saline, and then immediately returns them to you. When this technique is used, much less stored blood is needed during surgery, so you need not donate as much of your own blood beforehand. This technique cannot be used when cancer or infection is present.
Apheresis
Apheresis is a procedure that separates plasma and platelets as you donate blood. Plasma is used to restore blood volume; platelets are used to help the body stop bleeding. Apheresis is generally advised if your surgery is likely to result in high-volume blood loss and additional plasma or platelets are needed to supplement your recycled blood cells. Certain medical conditions or medications may prevent you from having this procedure.
Hemodilution
Hemodilution involves donating blood, infusing two to four units of fluids to replace blood volume, immediately performing surgery, and then transfusing the blood you donated back into your body. Because your blood is diluted, the blood lost during surgery contains about half as many red cells as the blood replaced by your transfusion. This technique results in an efficient conservation of red cells but may be indicated only for specific types of surgery or patients.
Designated Donor Blood
If you cannot donate your own blood, you may choose to have friends or family members donate for you. Many people feel that this blood involves fewer risks than blood collected from volunteer donors. This perception is not supported by statistics, which indicate that designated donor blood carries the same risk for disease transmission and transfusion reaction as volunteer blood. In fact, there is a potentially higher risk involved with designated donor blood because there is a chance that someone known to the patient may not wish to disclose high-risk lifestyle practices during the health history interview that would ordinarily disqualify him or her from giving blood.
Husbands are not allowed to donate for their wives if the wife is capable of future pregnancies. Such transfusions can initiate serious incompatibilities between the mother and her future baby’s blood (hemolytic disease of the newborn).
Also, transfusions of blood from blood relatives (fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, half-brothers, sons, and daughters) may initiate graft-versus-host disease, which is potentially fatal. This condition can be prevented by irradiating the blood before the transfusion.
If you choose to receive blood from a designated donor, your doctor must fill out a designated donor request stating the number of units needed. You also must sign a patient consent for designated donation, stating the names of those you wish to donate for you. Designated donors must be of a compatible blood type and must meet all the regulations of a regular donor. Designated donation appointments must be arranged with the Blood Center at least five working days before your transfusion date to allow time for all routine testing.
You may have a designated donor donate for you more often than the required eight weeks if the donor signs an informed consent regarding the blood donations and has the approval of the Blood Center medical director.
Volunteer Blood
If you need a transfusion but do not qualify to donate your own blood, you may choose to use blood collected by the Blood Center from community volunteers. Volunteer blood is donated by good-hearted citizens of the community who receive no material benefit or financial reward. About 70 percent of the blood is collected from people who have had a long-standing relationship with the Blood Center and have made many donations over the years. All potential donors are screened through a face-to-face interview and are then asked to sign a form verifying that all questions were answered truthfully.
Donor blood is tested and must be negative for syphilis, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, AIDS (HIV) antibody, HIV, HTLV I/II, West Nile Virus, and in some cases the antibody for the Cytomegalic Virus (CMV). Our volunteers undergo rigorous questioning to not only decrease the risk of the above infections, but to decrease the risk of other rare potential diseases such as malaria and Jacob-Creutzfeldt Disease.
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