- Myth: I can’t donate if I have tattoos.
- Myth: I can’t donate if I got a piercing recently.
- Myth: I can’t donate if I’ve just been to the dentist.
- Myth: Blood can be manufactured.
- Myth: Blood donation is painful.
- Myth: Blood is only needed in times of emergency.
- Myth: Donating blood causes my body to start over producing blood cells.
- Myth: Donating blood makes you gain weight.
- Myth: Donating blood takes a long time.
- Myth: Donating blood will impact my ability to do my daily activities.
- Myth: Giving blood will harm me by taking away red cells or platelets that my body needs to function.
- Myth: I can catch an infectious disease by donating blood.
- Myth: I have a common blood type, so you don’t need my blood.
- Myth: Donating blood can harm my immune system.
- Myth: Other people are already giving enough blood.
- Myth: Vegetarians or vegans cannot donate blood.
- Myth: I cannot donate blood because I have diabetes.
- Myth: I can’t donate if I’ve had low hemoglobin (iron) levels in the past.
- Myth: I must make an appointment to donate blood.
- Myth: I should fast before I donate.
- Who can give blood?
- Where does my blood go?
- Which patients use what blood components?
- What types of photo ID are accepted?
- What tests are performed on blood?
- What is vCJD?
- What happens when somebody tests positive for an infectious disease marker?
- What can I eat to raise my hemoglobin levels?
- Is it safe to receive blood transfusions?
- I don’t have sickle cell anemia, but I carry the trait. Can I still give blood?
- How will I feel after I give blood?
- How often can I give blood?
- How much blood is taken?
- How long does it take?
- Can I give blood for myself?
- When was Carter BloodCare founded?
- Can people with high blood pressure donate blood?
- Can people who have tested positive for HIV or AIDS donate blood?
- Can gay or bi-sexual men donate blood?
- What is Apheresis?
- How long can blood be stored?
Past Deferral Review
New FDA Donor Eligibility Guidelines
If you have been deferred in the past from donating blood with Carter BloodCare or any of its prior entities (Wadley Blood Institute, BloodCare of Dallas, Amon Carter Blood Center, or Stewart Regional Blood Center) and would like to have your information reviewed with current eligibility criteria OR you need to check your eligibility status or have an eligibility question not addressed in the Carter BloodCare donor eligibility please complete the form below to begin a review of your donor records.
Donor Notification will provide you with written confirmation of the reason for your deferral status, or of changes made to your eligibility.
Notes:
- Your records are confidential. MOST information CANNOT be given over the phone or by e-mail.
- The review of your donor history can take several days up to several weeks to complete. Because each case is individual, some reviews may take longer than others.
- You will receive a letter to let you know the reason for your deferral, and any changes to your donor status.
- Blood center or mobile blood drive staff does NOT have access to your confidential records.
- A complete review of your donation history will be performed. However, to determine if you meet current eligibility standards, we may need to contact you before the review is complete.
- Please ensure there is a phone number/email address that we can use to reach you. If we are unable to contact you, we may not be able to properly process your review.
Why did the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) make these changes?
The FDA made changes during a time that COVID-19 was stressing the adequacy of the blood supply, but not without evaluating scientific evidence on the safety of allowing donations from certain previously deferred donors.
With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the shelter-in-place orders, thousands of blood drives were cancelled locally and nationally, as schools, businesses, and houses of worship were closed.
Only 4% of people in the Carter BloodCare service area (north, central and east Texas) give blood. The new guidelines will allow thousands more people to donate blood who were previously deferred.
Am I at risk if I need a transfusion because some previously deferred individuals may now donate blood?
No. The FDA only changes the donor eligibility guidelines after careful study of available scientific evidence. They remain very conservative in their decision-making as to donor and recipient safety. They would not allow changes that compromise the safety of the blood. These guidelines are not unique to Carter BloodCare. All blood programs in the United States follow the same regulations.
If I lived overseas, may I now give blood?
For many years donors have been deferred because of living in Europe and/or the United Kingdom through identified years and for specific durations. The previous deferral was because of risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD or mad cow disease).
Recently, the FDA removed restrictions for travel/living in Europe and/or United Kingdom. You may be asked questions about travel to Europe and UK, but they no longer result in indefinite deferral.
If you previously attempted to donate with Carter BloodCare or Stewart Regional Blood Center in Tyler and were deferred because of the above-mentioned criteria, you must be reinstated. Please follow the re-entry process on this page to change your status in our computer system before presenting to donate.
If you have never attempted to donate blood with Carter BloodCare or Stewart Regional Blood Center, you are welcome to make an appointment to donate when that change goes in to effect.
If I lived on an overseas U.S. military base, may I now donate blood?
Yes. Presently, residency on a U.S. military base in Europe is not a deferral.
If you previously attempted to donate with Carter BloodCare or Stewart Regional Blood Center in Tyler and were deferred for this eligibility requirement, you must be reinstated. Please follow the re-entry process on this page to change your status in our computer system before presenting to donate.
If you have never attempted to donate blood with Carter BloodCare or Stewart Regional Blood Center, you are welcome to make an appointment to give.
If I was previously deferred for my residency in Europe and I am now eligible, can I just make an appointment to donate?
If you have never donated blood with Carter BloodCare or Stewart Regional Blood Center and you are now eligible under these new criteria, you may make an appointment at a blood drive or donation center near you and give blood.
If you attempted to give blood with Carter BloodCare and were deferred because of the residency criteria above, you must follow the re-entry process on this page to change your status before showing up to donate.
I was deferred in the past for travel to malaria-endemic parts of the world. Has that deferral changed?
Yes. The deferral period is shortened from 12 months to three months after travel to a malaria-endemic country.
However, if you were a resident of a malaria-endemic country before making your residency in the United States, you must be in the U.S. continually for three years, before donating blood.
If you travel back to a malaria-endemic area before three years in the U.S. has passed, the three-year timeframe will start over. After three years in the U.S., you may attempt to donate blood.