FDA finalizes guidance for individual donor assessment questionnaires
Carter BloodCare notes those previously deferred may soon be eligible to donate blood
BEDFORD, TEXAS – May 12, 2023 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized its guidance to eliminate time-based deferrals and screening questions specific to men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with MSM.
The FDA’s new guidelines focus on gender-inclusive, individual donor assessment questions to determine donor eligibility. The organization – which regulates all U.S. blood centers, including Carter BloodCare – had provided its drafted eligibility guidance in January 2023 for public review and comment.
Based on the FDA’s guidance, Carter BloodCare is conducting a comprehensive assessment of relevant processes and procedures impacted by this guidance. The Texas-based nonprofit expects its system to be updated as soon as the process allows.
Donating blood consistently is a vital way to support the community. It’s particularly important at this time of year, when blood donations typically drop as students go on break and families take vacations.
Blood donors help those in urgent need of lifesaving transfusions, including trauma patients, mothers experiencing difficult deliveries, those undergoing cancer treatments, and many other neighbors in need.
About Carter BloodCare
Carter BloodCare is an independent, community blood center providing transfusion resources to more than 200 medical facilities in 50-plus counties of North, Central and East Texas. The nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization is one of the largest blood programs in Texas, delivering more than 440,000 blood products annually to meet hospitals’ requirements for their patients. Services include collection, processing, specialized laboratory testing, storage and distribution of blood and blood products.
