Blood Donor Program

St. Louis Blood Donation Services 

Mercy is the only hospital in Missouri that is mobile for its own blood supply. When you give blood or platelets, you give the precious gift of life to someone. Every day, people of all ages and from all walks of life will unexpectedly need blood. They could be accident victims, cancer patients, someone undergoing surgery, or tiny babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. They could be someone you know. Your caring spirit and the time given to donate blood can help save someone's life. We value your time and your contribution.

Blood Donor Services

Mercy offers the following blood donor services in St. Louis:

  • Whole blood donor collection
  • Autologous and directed blood collection
  • Apheresis platelet collection

Your time is valuable. To minimize waiting time, please call and make an appointment or sign-up online. Recent travel to certain locals may be a cause for deferral, so please call ahead and discuss your travel history. If you come without an appointment, please:

  • Know that we will do our best to serve you as quickly as we can
  • Be at our collection site at least:
    • 1 hour prior to closing time for blood donation
    • 2 hours prior to closing time for platelet donation.

Blood Donor Screening

Routine blood donor screening measures are already in place designed to prevent individuals with clinical respiratory infections from donating blood. Donors must be well. We screen all donors about their current and past medical history and are taking additional precautions for COVID-19 following recent guidance from the FDA. To ensure the safety of our donors and the patients that will receive the lifesaving blood product, Mercy Blood Donor Services is implementing the following policies:

1) Donors are asked not to donate if:

  • You have received a vaccination for Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) other than Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson in the past 14 days.
  • You have tested positive or had symptoms of Covid-19 infection in the past 10 days.
  • You have been within six feet of someone for greater than 15 minutes who has tested positive or has symptoms of the Covid-19 virus in the past 10 days.
  • You have received monoclonal antibody treatment or antiviral medication for the Covid-19 virus in the past 12 months.

2) Donors will have their temperature taken upon arrival.

All donors will be required to bring a state-issued form of ID. Your safety is our first priority. We ask that donors come alone with no visitors, and masks must be worn at all times by everyone entering the building.

We maintain clean donation areas using accepted environmental cleaning standards. We are increasing the frequency of our cleaning and disinfection measures. It is critical for our donors to know that blood donation is safe and that patients with severe medical illnesses or undergoing urgent surgical procedures have an ongoing need for blood products that don’t go away during the pandemic. We appreciate the organizations and communities that have scheduled blood drives with Mercy Blood Donor Services.

Blood Donation FAQs

Your blood donation directly helps the people who need it most. It costs you nothing to give and your donation makes a positive difference in the life of another person.

To donate blood you have to be over the age of 16*, weigh at least 115 pounds, and be in good health.

 

*16-year-old donors are required to bring a parental consent form, completed in ink, in order to donate.

Your donation will help trauma patients, cancer patients, new moms or other patients fighting any number of illnesses.

Donors may also request their blood donation be directed to a specific patient. Read our Directed Donations Fact Sheet for more information. The donor will also need to complete the Directed Donation Request Form.

Mercy makes it easy to schedule a blood drive for your school, business, church or group. We'll help with the tools to get organized and bring our mobile technicians to you. Saving lives has never been more convenient. To learn more, call us at: 314-251-4483.

It takes about 10 minutes for your actual blood donation. The start to finish time, signing in, screening, donation and snack, takes about an hour.

  • One out of three people need donated blood in their life.
  • One out of 10 hospital patients needs a blood transfusion.
  • Blood is always needed for treatment of accident victims, cancer patients, hemophiliacs and surgery patients.
  • There is no substitute for human blood.
  • You cannot get AIDS or any other infectious disease by donating blood.
Heart patients: 2-8 units of packed red cells
Car accident trauma patient: 4-12 units of packed red cells
Cancer patient on chemotherapy: 6-12 units
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) baby: 5-10 transfusions of packed red cells

 

Monthly usage for Mercy St. Louis and Mercy Washington alone is more than 1,100 units.

Blood Donation Resources

Blood Donation Center

Mercy Hospital St. Louis

615 S. New Ballas Road
Saint Louis, MO 63141
(314) 251-4483