both are on campus today, does it really matter who I give blood to?

10/30/2012 11:27:05 AM

It shouldn't matter; both are in the same vein.

10/30/2012 11:47:50 AM

ba dum tss?

10/30/2012 11:58:15 AM

I always went with RedCross because Rex didn't have the bloodmobile set up for double red cell donations.

10/30/2012 12:16:36 PM

I'm A+ so RedCross won't accept double donations for me.

10/30/2012 12:18:10 PM

I'm O+. They love me. I still get phone calls every couple of months.

Are they in Bragaw or Talley? I might try to make it down there.

[Edited on October 30, 2012 at 12:30 PM. Reason : O+]

10/30/2012 12:19:43 PM

^same

I usually go every 8 weeks to the Rex donation place on Blue Ridge

10/30/2012 12:40:16 PM

I need to do this because I don't know even know my blood type.

10/30/2012 12:44:24 PM

Quote :

"I usually go every 8 weeks to the Rex donation place on Blue Ridge"

Do they take doubles there?

[Edited on October 30, 2012 at 12:45 PM. Reason : 2]

10/30/2012 12:45:03 PM

^ Yes. And a couple times a week you can usually get a sweet, free lunch from them. And they have the point system so you can get lots of swag if you donate often.

10/30/2012 12:59:09 PM

I should check out Rex. The Cary Red Cross has really weird hours in relation to my schedule. I have 0-, so you know the vampires are beating down my door. Actually, it's cute because they have to make a special bag for when I give blood since 0-, being the universal donor, is what they give babies and my fiancee gets the biggest smile knowing that I helped the little ones.

10/30/2012 3:15:29 PM

rex >>>>>>>>>> red cross

i, too, go to the blood center on blue ridge and partake of free lunch/giveaways

but i go to rex mostly because my veins roll and 9 times out of 10 the red cross folks can't manage to get it...so i get poked more frequently and it starts to hurt

on two occasions the red cross bag has had to be thrown out because there was tissue in it

10/30/2012 3:18:41 PM

^, plus they have the donate for life program where you earn points that you can redeem for Red Lobster gift cards. But mostly because their techs are way better IMO.

10/30/2012 3:48:37 PM

^ Hell yeah those gift cards rock. At one point my husband managed to accrue $200 in gift cards

10/30/2012 3:51:37 PM

I'm type A-Positive, and the Red Cross calls me nonstop asking for a blood donation.

10/30/2012 5:08:41 PM

hiw di they keep bliid fresh? what is the shelf-lofe if bliid?

10/30/2012 5:34:31 PM

They both sell that shit for a huge profit. I'll donate when they pay me my fair share.

10/30/2012 8:26:31 PM

From what my phlebotomist friend tells me, that's absolutely true of the Red Cross but Rex uses most of their blood at their own hospital and will provide blood to other hospitals during disasters, etc.

10/31/2012 8:42:15 AM

Quote :

"At one point my husband managed to accrue $200 in gift cards"

Did he live? I've managed $60 by doing platelets. You can go up to 24 times per year I think. I think it's 200 poits per donation and 500 points gets you a $20 card.

10/31/2012 9:48:57 AM

He did it donating platelets every 3-5 days for awhile. He was unemployed at the time so it wasn't like he had anything better to do As far as I know there's no sort of cap on how often you can do it annually. Also this was a few years ago so I wouldn't be surprised if they changed how many points you need to accrue cards because of people like him lol.

10/31/2012 10:12:52 AM

Quote :

"From what my phlebotomist friend tells me, that's absolutely true of the Red Cross but Rex uses most of their blood at their own hospital and will provide blood to other hospitals during disasters, etc."

i'm surprised...i would have thought it was the other way around, but i can see that, too

blood management is expensive, though

10/31/2012 10:24:56 AM

Quote :

"blood management is expensive, though"

Exactly. For Rex having their own blood center is just a way to avoid paying the Red Cross for blood and making sure they have their own steady supply. I don't think the Red Cross is ripping anyone off in what they charge since I'm betting that would put their non-profit status in jeopardy.

10/31/2012 10:31:48 AM

I can't give blood because I spend too much time in Ecuador.

10/31/2012 10:59:27 AM

Quote :

"I don't think the Red Cross is ripping anyone off in what they charge since I'm betting that would put their non-profit status in jeopardy."

exactly...rex isn't a non-profit, though, so that's why i would have thought they'd charge more for blood (but as you said, they probably keep it in-house most of the time and it saves them money in the long run)

10/31/2012 11:30:10 AM

Quote :

"rex isn't a non-profit"

Rex is owned by UNC. I don't know if that makes them non-profit or not but they're not run the same financially as a truly private hospital.

10/31/2012 11:35:31 AM

The Red Cross has a virtual monopoly on blood, and charge hundreds of dollars per pint(that's before the hospitals mark it up even more). They've been fined $46 million for shoddy blood practices over the years.

This article says blood transfusion average around $1400/pint...three years ago. Probably more now.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2009-08-30/news/0908290108_1_blood-reimbursement-mode

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarlyle/2012/06/27/blood-money-the-guys-who-trade-your-blood-for-profit/

You guys are cows being milked for profit.

[Edited on October 31, 2012 at 2:58 PM. Reason : .]

10/31/2012 2:54:33 PM

Quote :

"You guys are cows being milked for profit."

I'll just add them to the list, but I'll keep donating anyway.

10/31/2012 3:45:31 PM

Blood is scarce and the red cross is just using the market to find the correct economic solution

10/31/2012 6:33:32 PM

REX > Red Cross, Red Cross will call you like a politician needing votes

10/31/2012 7:23:41 PM

Quote :

"Red Cross will call you like a politician needing votes"

true...but rex does email me, like, every other day if they think i haven't donated recently

11/1/2012 11:27:51 AM

Rex!! Rex keeps more blood local (in NC). Giving blood at Rex helps the local community more than giving to the red cross.

11/8/2012 3:49:58 PM

What if I want my blood to be more well-traveled?

11/8/2012 4:08:26 PM

Aneg reporting in. they had those subway cards where you give blood like 10 times and you get something but i never kept my card. they should srsly use that blood donation club for people to have luscious safe-sex orgies. blood donation would skyrocket. we could sell that shit all over the world like corn syrup. ppl be too yawn to fuck good

11/8/2012 8:41:16 PM