Ways to Help | Eligibility Requirements

You may be able to donate if you:

• are in good health and feel well the day of their donation
• are least 17 years of age, or 16 with parental consent 
• weigh at least 110 pounds 
• have a photo ID

• Travel: If you traveled to an area where malaria is a risk, there is a three-month deferral period. Travel to other areas is acceptable!
• Pregnancy: Donors must wait at least six weeks post-partum before donating.
• Cancer: Donors with a history of cancer must wait one year from the date of their last treatment.
• Tattoos and piercings: Tattoos and piercings are OK, as long as they were performed in a licensed and regulated facility and are fully healed. Anything done by oneself or outside of those facilities are a three-month deferral.
• Antibiotics: Donors need to wait 24 hours after completing the final dose.
• Additional criteria for platelet donors: Do not take aspirin or other anti-platelet drugs within 48 hours of your donation.

View additional blood donor eligibility guidelines at this link. 

If you have further questions regarding your eligibility, call us at 617-355-6677.

To make an appointment to donate, please visit https://www.bostonchildrens.org/halfpints.

The Blood Donor Center at Boston Children’s Hospital is thrilled to announce exciting changes in how we assess blood donors to provide patients with the safest blood for transfusion. The FDA has recently finalized recommendations to determine eligibility for blood donations termed Individual Donor Assessment. The new recommendations for assessing blood donor eligibility will use a set of individual risk-based questions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV. These questions will be the same for every donor, regardless of sexual orientation, sex, or gender. This inclusive blood donation process treats all potential donors with equality and respect and will potentially expand the number of people eligible to donate blood, while maintaining the apropriate safeguards to protect the safety of the blood supply. 

We are currently working on modifications to our information systems and staff training to accommodate these changes, which represents one of the largest recent changes in donor assessment. We have fast tracked this project and are excited to see this launched by the end of the year. Please follow us on Instagram or Facebook for updates.