The next time you give blood, you won’t notice any change in your donation experience, but there will be some minor improvements at the blood drive itself.

You will see that the person who collects your blood will use a handheld computer, similar to a Palm Pilot, to record information that once was recorded by hand on your blood donation record.   The new equipment will help the Red Cross assure the blood donation records are complete, accurate, and standardized

If you visit a donor center, it should look the same, but if you visit a blood drive, the arrangement of the drive may be different. Because the new equipment requires access to more electrical outlets, the Red Cross may need to improve electrical access by re-arranging the equipment during the blood drive set-up. 

At larger blood drives, specific health history stations will be assigned to specific donation chairs, which could affect the order in which donors are taken. Red Cross staff will direct you to the correct donation chair to minimize any inconvenience.

Please call the American Red Cross at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE if you have questions or concerns.