Who is eligible to give blood in Kansas City? Everything to know before donating

Donating blood is an impactful way to give back to the community, especially during Kansas City’s ongoing blood shortage.

The Star is partnering with the Community Blood Center to host a blood drive on Jan. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the conference room at 2460 E. Pershing Road on the east side of the Crown Center complex across from Spokes. You can sign up for an appointment using this link.

If you’re nervous about donating, you can read about the process step-by-step as one of our reporters experienced it for the first time.

And if you don’t know if you meet the criteria to donate? Keep reading!

“There are a lot of misconceptions around who can and can’t donate blood,” said center spokesperson Chelsey Smith. Some believe that they can’t give blood if they’re on any type of prescription medications, if they smoke, if they have any tattoos or many other reasons, she said.

In reality, none of these conditions make you ineligible to donate blood. Here are all the criteria you need to know about before making a donation.

Age

Volunteers as young as 16 years old can donate blood with parental permission. You can find the Community Blood Center’s parent permission sheet here.

If you are 17 or older, you don’t need your parent or guardian’s consent — but you do need to meet certain body weight requirements until you are 19 years old.

There is no upper age limit for blood donation as long as you meet certain physical requirements like iron levels, blood pressure and other vitals.

Illness and Medical History

You should not give blood if you currently have or have ever had HIV/AIDS or ebola, as these viruses can be transmitted through the blood. You also need to wait at least three months to donate after taking medication to prevent HIV infection.

You also shouldn’t donate blood if you currently have COVID-19. However, you can donate once you have been symptom-free for at least 14 days. No COVID-19 vaccinations or booster shots make you ineligible to donate.

Most medications do not make you ineligible to donate blood. If you’re on antibiotics, wait until you have finished taking them to donate. You should also wait one month after finishing a course of Accutane to donate. Here’s a list of more medications that may impact your eligibility.

If you’re not feeling well or have cold or flu symptoms, wait until a few days after they resolve to donate blood.

You’ll also be screened for some basic vital signs like pulse and blood pressure at the blood center — if your heart rate is above 100 beats per minute and does not slow down after a rest period, you won’t be able to give blood.

Finally, don’t donate blood just to find out the results of the screening tests the center runs on all donations. If you need a test for HIV/AIDS or another illness, free tests are available through the Kansas City Health Department.

Sexual History

As a general rule, people of all sexualities and gender identities are eligible to donate blood. However, federal guidelines for blood donation state that men who have had sex with other men in the last three months are not eligible. According to the Red Cross, this rule also applies to transgender men and does not apply to transgender women.

People of any gender who have had sex with a man who has had sex with other men in the last three months are also asked to wait three months before donating.

If you have engaged in sex work or had sexual contact with a sex worker, you will need to wait until three months after this work or contact to donate blood again. You also need to wait three months before donating if you have recently had syphilis or gonorrhea.

You must wait one year to donate blood after having sexual contact with someone who has hepatitis B or hepatitis C.

Lifestyle Habits

Some states require a three month waiting period after getting a tattoo to donate blood — but Missouri and Kansas aren’t among them. As long as you got your tattoo in a licensed parlor, you can donate blood immediately afterwards.

Recreational drug use that doesn’t involve needle injections usually doesn’t make you ineligible to donate. However, you should never donate while under the influence of drugs. If you have taken drugs not prescribed by your doctor using a needle, you will need to wait three months before donating.

The blood center will likely ask you about any recent travel out of the country. If you have traveled somewhere where malaria is common, you might have to wait three months before donating. To find out whether your recent travel impacts your eligibility, call 1-800-688-0900.

Still not sure whether you’re eligible to donate blood? Stop by your local blood center and ask! Each clinic’s screening process is designed to determine whether you can give blood — and all donations are tested to ensure they’re safe for patients and research labs.

Now if you’ve realized you qualify, you can sign up for The Star’s blood drive on Jan. 24 using this link.

Do you have more questions about Kansas City’s blood shortage? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.