[bruinaphi]

UCLA Blood & Platelet Center has started a Double Red Cell donation program for every day donors (it used to be that only family/patients could do double red cell donation).

There are several really great advantages to this program: (1) people who give blood two or three times a year can stay on that same schedule, but double the effectiveness of their blood donation; (2) donors say the automated double red cell donation is more comfortable than regular whole blood donations because a smaller needle is used; & (3) Donors also receive back their own plasma and about a pint of saline, leaving them better hydrated than before the donation.

I hope that programs such as this one serve to increase the blood supply.