Contact the Blood Donor Center
Blood Donor Center
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, TN 38105-3678
- Phone: 901-595-2024
- Toll-Free: 866-278-5833, ext. 2024
- Email: BloodDonor.Recruiters@stjude.org
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Eligibility to Donate Blood and Platelets
Anyone in good health who is at least 18 and weighs 110 pounds or more may donate blood and/or platelets to patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
At our Blood Donor Center, we screen donors for health conditions, medications, and recent travel to see if they are eligible to donate. The screening process includes a physical examination and a review of the potential donor’s medical history.
The screening may find reasons why some potential donors cannot donate. They will receive a deferral. Some deferrals are temporary. Others are permanent. Some common reasons for eligibility or deferral are listed here:
Medical conditions
| Condition | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| AIDS - High-risk individuals and their partners | Permanent deferral |
| Cold or flu | 48-hour deferral after symptoms are gone |
| Hepatitis or jaundice after age 11 | Permanent deferral |
| Pregnant or after delivery, miscarriage, or abortion | 6-week deferral |
| Surgery (without transfusion) | 6-week deferral |
Medications
| Condition | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Antibiotics | Contact the Blood Donor Center for eligibility criteria |
| Aspirin | 48-hour deferral (platelets only) |
| All other medications | Contact the Blood Donor Center for eligibility criteria |
Note: You can still donate blood if you are taking some common, over-the-counter medications that are not prescribed by a doctor, such as allergy medications, blood pressure medications, vitamins, diet pills, sleeping pills, ibuprofen, and Tylenol®. Contact the Blood Donor Center if you are unsure about anything you are taking.
Procedures
| Procedure | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Ear piercing - performed by medical staff | Eligible to donate |
| Ear piercing - unapproved location | 3-month deferral |
| Tattoo | No deferral if done at a licensed facility, 3-month deferral if done at an unlicensed facility |
| Dental work - invasive | 72-hour deferral |
| Teeth cleaning | 24-hour deferral |
Travel
| Area | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Malaria risk areas | 1-year deferral |
Vaccinations
| Vaccination | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Hepatitis B vaccine (for prophylaxis only) | 2-week deferral |
| Hepatitis B vaccine (for exposure) | 1-year deferral |
| Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) | 4-week deferral |
| T-Dap | Eligible same day |
| All other vaccinations | Contact the Blood Donor Center for eligibility criteria |
Note: You can donate blood on the same day that you get a flu shot (vaccination) or a Gardasil (HPV) vaccination.