General Questions
Where do I give blood?
You can give blood at the LG Health’s Blood Donor Center located at the Suburban Pavilion, the Downtown Pavilion, or at one of our many off-site mobile blood drive locations. Visit our blood donor portal to see our upcoming blood drive schedule and reserve your donation appointment.
LG Health’s Blood Donor Center located at the Suburban Pavilion
2104 Harrisburg Pike
2nd Floor - Suite 202
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone: 717-544-0170
Hours:
Monday: 10 am – 7:30 pm
Tuesday and Thursday 8 am – 4 pm
Wednesday and Friday: 8 am – 6 pm
Appointments are also available most Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Downtown Pavilion from 7:45 am – 2:30 pm.
540 N. Duke Street
Ground Floor Lab Testing Area
Lancaster, PA 17602
To schedule an appointment, call 717-544-0170 and choose option #1, or schedule through our blood donor portal.
What does the blood donation process involve?
Medical Questionnaire: When you arrive to donate blood, you will fill out a donor history form about your past illnesses, medications you are taking, and recent travel history. This will be reviewed by a Donor Center staff member.
Pre-Donation Medical Screening: A Donor Center staff member will check your pulse, hemoglobin, blood pressure, and temperature.
Donating: After you’ve been screened and are eligible to donate, you will spend 10–12 minutes in a comfortable reclining chair while blood is drawn from a vein in your arm and collected in a blood product bag. Tubes of blood are collected during your donation and sent to a laboratory to determine blood type, test for antibodies, and screen for infectious diseases. After donation, the donor's blood volume begins replacing itself within hours.
48-72 hours after the donation, the blood is available to be used by the Lancaster General Health Blood Bank. Whole blood has a shelf life of 42 days and platelets have a shelf life of seven days.
What does blood type mean and why is it important?
Although all blood is made of the same basic elements, not all blood is alike. There are eight different common blood types, determined by the presence or absence of certain antigens—substances that can trigger an immune response if they are foreign to the body. Since some antigens can trigger a patient's immune system to attack the transfused blood, safe blood transfusions depend on careful donor and recipient blood typing and cross-matching units for blood transfusion.
- O+ and A+ are the most common blood types and are most often needed.
- Because O- is the "universal donor," this blood type is frequently needed, especially in emergency events.
- When separated into components, one unit of whole blood can save the lives of up to three people.
Are there any requirements for donating blood?
To be eligible to donate blood a person must be at least 16 years of age, in good health and weigh at least 110 pounds. While approximately 37% of the population is eligible to donate blood, only about 10% do so each year. You can donate one pint of blood every eight weeks (56 days).
Are some people not eligible to donate blood?
- A tattoo or piercing requires you wait at least 3 months before donating blood.
- If you recently had surgery, you must be fully recovered from the surgery and be discharged from your physician's care.
- If you have been exposed to another person's blood, you must wait at least 3 months before donating.
Can I donate if I just received a vaccination?
There is no deferral period if you received a vaccination or booster for Influenza or COVID-19.
Note: There are vaccinations that do require a deferral period. If you received a vaccination for something other than Influenza or COVID-19, contact the Blood Donor Center at 717-544-0170 to see if it requires a deferral period prior to donating blood.
The Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) offers additional information about blood donation eligibility.