Why would anyone consciously NOT donate blood?

[edjr 6,898]

I've donated blood once, horrible experience, no thanks.

[wiffleball 4,797]

I have one problem with donating blood - actually two - and I've donated a lot in the past.

 

The first problem I have is the fact that the blood banks act like they're some wondermous charity - but they charge out the Axx selling blood to the hospital - which in turn bills you and your insurance company out the axx. I'd love to see the salaries some of the directors of these blood banks pull down. When you think about it, that's pretty shady. They ask you to donate for free, then harvest your charity into a billion-dollar industry.

[PartyHair 0]

That whole "I hate needles" excuse is bogus. I mean, come on. Who likes needles?

 

I do a dual red blood cell donation, which means nothing to me other than they only let you donate three times a year and it takes me a hell of a long time to donate that much blood. I give whenever they call and ask me - like clockwork, they are.

 

Also, I always get a tee-shirt from the blood people.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,433]

I have one problem with donating blood - actually two - and I've donated a lot in the past.

 

The first problem I have is the fact that the blood banks act like they're some wondermous charity - but they charge out the Axx selling blood to the hospital - which in turn bills you and your insurance company out the axx. I'd love to see the salaries some of the directors of these blood banks pull down. When you think about it, that's pretty shady. They ask you to donate for free, then harvest your charity into a billion-dollar industry.

 

This has already been covered. The blood is free. The storage, testing, processing, recruiting, and collection are fees that the Red Cross charges for. Unless you have come up with some way to hop over to the hospital and give it on demand, then they have to recoup their money.

 

Even if the Red Cross did not charge the hospital, I can GUARANTEE you that the hospital would charge you out the axx.

 

I have given many times, but I have had a hard time giving recently due to scheduling issues. I am probably just too lazy to get it done.

[phillybear 366]

Afraid of needles? What a bunch of pussies. :oldrolleyes:

 

I am diabetic. I currently jam 6 needles a day into my belly.

[wiffleball 4,797]

This has already been covered. The blood is free. The storage, testing, processing, recruiting, and collection are fees that the Red Cross charges for. Unless you have come up with some way to hop over to the hospital and give it on demand, then they have to recoup their money.

 

Even if the Red Cross did not charge the hospital, I can GUARANTEE you that the hospital would charge you out the axx.

 

 

So you can "GUARANTEE" that these guys are strictly charging bottom-line cost. You can "GUARANTEE" that the Directors of the various blood banks aren't making six-figure salaries. You can "GUARANTEE" that these guys aren't selling this for the very minimum amount possible.

 

- I call Bullshiit.

 

And BTW: If the Red Cross (and there are many other blood banks not affiliated with them) has taught us nothing, they've taught us that "non profit" doesn't mean they don't make a shiitload of money, throw ginormous elaborate and expensive parties, have great expense accounts and pay their directors 6 figure salaries. - That shiits documented. You got diddly.

[RicemanX 20]

oops. notice the effect on me...

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,433]

So you can "GUARANTEE" that these guys are strictly charging bottom-line cost. You can "GUARANTEE" that the Directors of the various blood banks aren't making six-figure salaries. You can "GUARANTEE" that these guys aren't selling this for the very minimum amount possible.

 

- I call Bullshiit.

 

And BTW: If the Red Cross (and there are many other blood banks not affiliated with them) has taught us nothing, they've taught us that "non profit" doesn't mean they don't make a shiitload of money, throw ginormous elaborate and expensive parties, have great expense accounts and pay their directors 6 figure salaries. - That shiits documented. You got diddly.

 

So you think that the Red Cross should do it for free or at cost? Why would they want to do that? If they did not make money at it, then they would stop doing it and we would be in big trouble. I suppose that we should have doctors and nurses work for free as well.

 

Yes, the execs at many of these blood banks make some good money (although you must realize that 6 figures is not that much). That is how some not-for-profits work. That does not mean that you throw the baby out with the bathwater.

 

Again, I can GUARANTEE that the hospital is going to fock you on blood regardless of what it costs them. They do it on supplies, medication, labor, and beds (and everything else) already.

 

To not give blood because you don't want the folks at the Red Cross to make any money is stupid.

[GeminiV 0]

Yet, you didn't disagree.

 

I've always wondered if Walter Payton was an organ donor. He died while waiting on a liver transplant that never came. If he wasn't a donor, then that's pure irony.

 

Wouldn't it be more ironic if he WAS a donor?

[brinett9 0]

I don't want the Church Of Homeland Security to have my DNA.

[GobbleDog 1,010]

Wouldn't it be more ironic if he WAS a donor?

 

If he wasn't a donor, that means he'd rather let his organs rot instead of saving a person's life. That kind of thinking is exactly why Payton died.

 

So yes, I would call that ironic.

[redtodd 7]

So you can "GUARANTEE" that these guys are strictly charging bottom-line cost. You can "GUARANTEE" that the Directors of the various blood banks aren't making six-figure salaries. You can "GUARANTEE" that these guys aren't selling this for the very minimum amount possible.

 

- I call Bullshiit.

 

And BTW: If the Red Cross (and there are many other blood banks not affiliated with them) has taught us nothing, they've taught us that "non profit" doesn't mean they don't make a shiitload of money, throw ginormous elaborate and expensive parties, have great expense accounts and pay their directors 6 figure salaries. - That shiits documented. You got diddly.

 

What would you suggest? We draw the blood outselves and keep it in the fridge to sell on Ebay?

[Spergon Wynn 0]

I consciously CAN'T donate blood, even though I want to, because I went to college for a year in England. Anyone who spent more than 3 cumulative months in the UK from 1/1/1980 - 12/31/1996 aren't allowed to donate blood through the American Red Cross because of mad cow disease! Yeah, I was surprised too. Here's the link

 

In-Depth Discussion of Variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease and Blood Donation

 

In some parts of the world, cattle can get an infectious, fatal brain disease called Mad Cow Disease. In these same locations, humans have started to get a new disease called variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) which is also a fatal brain disease. Scientists believe that vCJD is Mad Cow Disease that has somehow transferred to humans, possibly through the food chain.

 

There is now evidence from a small number of case reports involving patients and laboratory animal studies that vCJD can be transmitted through transfusion. There is no test for vCJD in humans that could be used to screen blood donors and to protect the blood supply. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep vCJD out of the blood supply by avoiding collections from those who have been where this disease is found.

 

At this time, the American Red Cross donor eligibility rules related to vCJD are as follows:

 

You are not eligible to donate if:

From January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1996, you spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 3 months or more, in the United Kingdom (UK), or

 

From January 1, 1980, to present, you had a blood transfusion in any country(ies) in the (UK). The UK includes any of the countries listed below.

 

* Channel Islands

* England

* Falkland Islands

* Gibraltar

* Isle of Man

* Northern Ireland

* Scotland

* Wales

 

You were a member of the of the U.S. military, a civilian military employee, or a dependent of a member of the U.S. military who spent a total time of 6 months on or associated with a military base in any of the following areas during the specified time frames

 

* From 1980 through 1990 - Belgium, the Netherlands (Holland), or Germany

* From 1980 through 1996 - Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Italy or Greece.

 

You spent (visited or lived) a cumulative time of 5 years or more from January 1, 1980, to present, in any combination of country(ies) in Europe, including

 

* in the UK from 1980 through 1996 as listed in above

* on or associated with military bases as described above, and

* in other countries in Europe as listed below:

o Albania

o Austria

o Montenegro (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)

o Belgium

o Bosnia/Herzegovina

o Bulgaria

o Croatia

o Norway

o Poland

o Czech Republic

o Denmark

o Romania

o Finland

o France

o Slovak Republic (Slovakia)

o Germany

o Greece

o Spain

o Hungary

o Ireland (Republic of)

o Italy

o Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)

o Liechtenstein

o Luxembourg

o Macedonia

o Netherlands (Holland)

o Portugal

o Serbia (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)

o Slovenia

o Sweden

o Switzerland

o Turkey

o Yugoslavia (Federal Republic includes Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia)

[redtodd 7]

I consciously CAN'T donate blood, even though I want to, because I went to college for a year in England. Anyone who spent more than 3 cumulative months in the UK from 1/1/1980 - 12/31/1996 aren't allowed to donate blood through the American Red Cross because of mad cow disease! Yeah, I was surprised too. Here's the link

 

You can't because of circumstances. Not much you can do about that. I wasn't allowed to for a year before because I needed a blood trasfusion during my back surgery. Some of it was my own blood I donated to myself the week before, the rest was from someone else.

[Ignignokt 0]

I'd have to go all the way downstairs to the big conference room the day they're here.

 

Who needs all that sh!t?

[GettnHuge 2]

Afraid of needles? What a bunch of pussies. :oldrolleyes:

 

I am diabetic. I currently jam 6 needles a day into my belly.

 

come now, opening most these threads is like jamming 60 needles into my eyes each day.

[dolfan06 1]

Afraid of needles? What a bunch of pussies. :oldrolleyes:

 

I am diabetic. I currently jam 6 needles a day into my belly.

 

It's weird. I have no problem at all poking needles in my belly, but needles in the crook of my arm make me pass out.

[wiffleball 4,797]

What would you suggest? We draw the blood outselves and keep it in the fridge to sell on Ebay?

 

 

Very simple: We make sure blood donations are treated like any other donation. Have blood collection centers audited (like all other charities) to ensure that they are charging nothing but legitimate cost & that their costs and their compensations are appropriate. Do the same thing with the hospitals.

 

- If Goodwill took a sweatshirt you donated for the homeless and charged $400 to a homeless guy for that sweatshirt, people would be outraged - and they would lose their "not for profit" status. Blood banks just have better PR.

[dolfan06 1]

Very simple: We make sure blood donations are treated like any other donation. Have blood collection centers audited (like all other charities) to ensure that they are charging nothing but legitimate cost & that their costs and their compensations are appropriate. Do the same thing with the hospitals.

 

- If Goodwill took a sweatshirt you donated for the homeless and charged $400 to a homeless guy for that sweatshirt, people would be outraged - and they would lose their "not for profit" status. Blood banks just have better PR.

 

Not all blood collection centers and hospitals are nonprofit. Hospitals that are nonprofit are heavily regulated by the IRS and HHS, and there's a lot of pressure from Congress and the plaintiff's bar to review the practices of nonprofit hospitals to ensure that they are operating as charities. In my experience (and I work with a lot of hospitals), nonprofit hospitals do a lot of good, care for a lot of patients who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it and couldn't access care at for-profit providers and don't pay their management beyond what's necessary to be competitive for organizations their size.

 

I can't speak to the Red Cross but I know they've faced their share of scandals.

[Ravens 03 0]

And to store it. If that is the case I want some cash for my blood, not some nasty egg salad sandwich.

 

I got a t-shirt and a cooking apron last month when I donated.

[29 Guests 29]

If you don't weigh enough they won't let you donate blood.

 

Gobbledog: that's actually not all that bad of an idea but I'm sure there are some ethics issues someone would bring up.

SO doesn't weigh enough either.

Focking pussies!

[redtodd 7]

Very simple: We make sure blood donations are treated like any other donation. Have blood collection centers audited (like all other charities) to ensure that they are charging nothing but legitimate cost & that their costs and their compensations are appropriate. Do the same thing with the hospitals.

 

- If Goodwill took a sweatshirt you donated for the homeless and charged $400 to a homeless guy for that sweatshirt, people would be outraged - and they would lose their "not for profit" status. Blood banks just have better PR.

 

Does the sweatshirt need to be sterilized? Does it need to be insured for liability in case something goes wrong with it? Does the shirt need to be tested to make sure it is not infected? Does all the material of the sweatshirt need to comply with Class VI and 21CFR and be documented?

 

I think you are underestimating the cost of collecting, storing and the distributing of blood.

 

So if there is a shortage of blood (which I think there currently is for O), do you just say "Fock the people who need it, I am not donating becuase I do not like the Red Cross?" How else are they going to get blood?

[Super Cubs 155]

I'm working on my 5th gallon and a CFL member. You never know I might need some one day.

 

I don't like needles....although you do get a cheap buzz drinking on the day you donated the bloods

I don't know about the cheap buzz but it gives me a hell of a headache and hangover.

 

Personally, I think it should be MANDATORY for everyone to be an organ donor.

 

If you want to be taken off the list - that's fine, but then you're also not allowed to recieve one either.

agreed

[GeminiV 0]

 

If he wasn't a donor, that means he'd rather let his organs rot instead of saving a person's life. That kind of thinking is exactly why Payton died.

 

So yes, I would call that ironic.

 

Yeah, I guess from that perspective it's ironic.

 

I thought it'd also be ironic if the only organ donor compatible with him that was near-death was... himself.

[redtodd 7]

Personally, I think it should be MANDATORY for everyone to be an organ donor.

 

If you want to be taken off the list - that's fine, but then you're also not allowed to recieve one either.

 

I think the 2nd line of your post is brilliant. I totally agree.

[Guest tiki_gods]

I consciously CAN'T donate blood, even though I want to, because I went to college for a year in England. Anyone who spent more than 3 cumulative months in the UK from 1/1/1980 - 12/31/1996 aren't allowed to donate blood through the American Red Cross because of mad cow disease! Yeah, I was surprised too. Here's the link

 

No sh!t.

[nobody 2,883]

I stopped giving blood after the nurses started treating me like they were doing me a favor allowing me to give blood. All I want is a seat to fill out my form and not have to wait in the hallway like some inmate at Attica.