Does The Red Cross Charge For Blood?
No, the American Red Cross does not charge for blood, but does charge a processing fee for the cost of collecting, testing, processing, and distributing blood to the hospitals. Blood Types How can I find out my blood type? When you donate blood with the American Red Cross we will send you a Red Cross donor card that indicates your blood type. The O blood type is quite common. Why are you still always looking for O blood donors? Type O Red Cells are the universal donor Red Cells and can be given to patients of any blood type. This is why type O donors are in great demand. Type O Red Cells are frequently used for patients in an emergency, when there is not enough time to type their blood. The AB blood type is quite rare. Doesnt that mean you need more AB people to donate blood? Since type AB patients can receive blood of any type, hospitals often do not need to stock type AB Red Cells. However, Plasma and Platelets from type AB donors can be given to patients of any blood type, and there
The Red Cross does not charge hospitals for the unit of blood itself, which has been given by a volunteer blood donor. The Red Cross must charge a cost recovery fee per unit based on the costs incurred in recruiting the donor, collecting and testing the blood and distributing it to hospitals. These cost recovery fees enable Red Cross Blood Services to continue doing the work we do to help save lives every day.
