Giving blood is a simple, but important process! The entire process takes about 1 hour, from the time you walk in the door until the time you leave, but the actual donation only takes about 10 minutes.

Imagine if everybody took one hour out of their day a few times a year to donate blood. If everyone made donating blood a part of their life, like going to the dentist or getting your oil changed, what kind of difference could that make? For the patients in our community who receive over 16,000 units of blood each year, it makes a world of difference!

Step 1: Registration

You will be asked to read the donor qualifications and important information about your blood donation. You will also be asked to complete the donor registration form with your name and contact information. (At times, you may also be asked to fill out a survey, so we can learn how to best serve our donors). Please note that 1st time donors to South Bend Medical Foundation will need to present photo identification.

Step 2: Screening

A confidential screening process is provided to review your health history and to perform a mini-physical. You will be asked a series of Yes or No questions, and a phlebotomist, a trained professional in the collection of laboratory samples --specifically blood, will take your blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Having a list of any medications that you take is helpful in the screening process.

Step 3: Donation

The phlebotomist will clean the area on your arm and insert a needle for the blood drawing procedure. You will be asked to relax for 5-10 during your donation. When one pint of blood is collected, the phlebotomist will remove the needle.

Step 4: Rejuvenation

You will be asked to stay and enjoy juice, cookies and snacks for 10 minutes. After that, you can leave the donor site and resume normal daily activities. You will also leave with the good feeling that you have just helped save someone’s life in our community!