The needle is sterile, used only once, and discarded after use. Nurses always wear gloves. The only blood test performed at the blood drive is to determine the donor's iron level. Criteria of a Blood Donor To give blood, you must be healthy, at least 17 years old, and weigh 110 pounds or more. There are many places where donations can be made.
Bloodmobiles travel to high schools, colleges, churches, and community organizations.
Many people donate at blood drives at their workplace. The Allegheny Region Chapter will hold 159 bloodmobiles this year and will recruit 8,000 units of blood. The blood is secured primarily by telephone solicitation. The bloodmobiles are staffed with local volunteers in addition to the professional technicians from the New-York Penn and the Greater Alleghenies Region.