Blood Assurance announced significant changes in donor criteria, which will lift several restrictions for potential blood donors.
One amendment is the reduced time in which cancer survivors are deferred from donating blood. Once cancer patients have been cancer-free for one year, they are eligible to donate blood. Previously, regulations required cancer survivors to wait five years before donating blood.
The changes also include lifting the age restriction, now allowing donors over the age of 80 to donate blood without obtaining written consent from their physicians.
The deferred medication list is also shorter than the previous one. Medications still listed which would cause a potential donor to be ineligible, are blood thinners, such as Coumadin, Heparin, Lovenox and
Warfarin.
Donors on these medications are eligible to donate seven days after their last dose.
Some exclusions still remain in effect. Donors taking Proscar, Avodart, Propecia, Accutane, Soriatane, Tegison, growth hormones,
insulin from cows and Hepatitis B Immune Globulin and still ineligible
to donate, as well as anyone who has received an unlicensed vaccine,
usually associated with research.
Currently, less than ten percent of the eligible population donates
blood, but Blood Assurance officials hope the reduced restrictions will encourage more donors to give blood.
Blood Assurance is the exclusive regional provider of blood products
for 47 healthcare facilities throughout 31 counties in Alabama,
Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Each day, Blood Assurance needs approximately 400 units of blood to
meet the demands of area hospitals. Donors must be at least 17 years old or 16 years old with parental consent, weigh at least 110 pounds
and be in good health.