Q: What is Marsh Regional Blood Center?
A: Marsh Regional Blood Center is a non-profit, full-service regional blood center, serving 18 health care facilities throughout Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Since 1947, Marsh Regional has served the region with a mission to collect and maintain blood supplies to meet local needs. The blood donated at Marsh Regional is used right here at home for those who need it in our region.

Q: Who can give blood?
A: Volunteer donors provide virtually all of the country's supply of blood for transfusions. It is important for every healthy and eligible individual to donate blood. This will help ensure that blood supplies are available when patients need them.
 

Q: What are the requirements for donating blood?
A: In order to give blood, you must be at least 18 years of age, in good general health and meet a few basic requirements. In Tennessee, individuals who are 17 years of age may donate without written parental permission at Marsh Regional’s collection centers or with written parental permission on our mobile blood drives. All blood donors must weigh a minimum of 120 pounds.

Q: How often can I donate blood?
A: Most people can safely give blood every eight weeks – or every 56 days – as many as five or six times per year. Donors who give blood at least four times annually are eligible to participate in Marsh Regional’s Donors4Life program.

Q: Can I get any disease from giving or receiving blood?
A: No. Only sterile, disposable, single-use needles and supplies are used. Additionally, every pint is tested thoroughly before it is given to a patient.
 

Q: How long does it take to give blood at Marsh Regional?
A: The entire process of donating blood, from the health questionnaire and physical to the actual donation and refreshments, typically takes around 30-45 minutes at Marsh Regional. The needle stick itself only lasts a second, and obtaining your blood only takes an average of eight to ten minutes.

Q: Where and when can I give blood?
A: Marsh Regional offers three collection centers and daily mobile blood drives throughout Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, making it convenient for you to give blood.

Q: Do I need an appointment?
A: No. Marsh Regional welcomes walk-in donors during normal operating hours. However, it may be helpful if you do make an appointment ahead of time. Let us know when you are planning to visit by calling any Marsh Regional collection center.

Q: Can my business, school or church host a blood drive?
A: Yes, your group can have a dramatic impact on saving lives. Marsh Regional has three four-bed bloodmobiles and a two-bed bloodmobile available to conduct on-site blood drives. We also offer the option of setting up a breakdown blood drive, working with you to identify a convenient location inside your facility with sufficient space and resources to set up our mobile equipment. During a breakdown drive, donors are never required to leave the comfort and convenience of your facility. Please contact a mobile blood drive recruiter at (423) 224-5888, or visit the Hosting a Mobile Blood Drive section of this site to learn how your organization can help.

Q: Can I donate blood for myself?
A: The process of donating blood for yourself is called an autologous blood donation. During this procedure, you will provide your own blood for an upcoming occasion where you may need a blood transfusion, such as surgery. Your blood may be collected during the days and weeks prior to surgery, stored and returned to you during or following surgery to replace the blood you have lost. Your physician will make the necessary arrangements after which you should make an appointment with Marsh Regional.

Q: What is apheresis?
A: Apheresis is a type of donation in which the donor only gives a certain blood component, such as platelets. Platelets prevent bleeding and cause blood to clot. They are needed by patients who experience trauma, bleeding during surgery, and those who are being treated for cancer. It takes up to 10 normal blood donations to equal one apheresis donation. Therefore, these donors are very special. Find out more about how you can donate platelets by visiting the Giving Platelets section of this site.

Q: What is the National Marrow Donor Program?
A: The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is a service Marsh Regional provides in partnership with the local affiliate, Cooperative Appalachian Marrow Program (CAMP). Marsh Regional donors can sign up to be placed on the national registry of potential bone marrow donors through the NMDP and possibly become a match for someone in need of a life-saving transplant. Learn more about enrolling here.

Q: Can individuals who are 16 years of age donate blood?
A: Marsh Regional’s procedures currently only allow individuals who are at least 17 years of age to donate blood.

Q: Why should I give blood?
A: Though many medical advances are being made every day, there is still no substitute for one of the most important substances in the human body – blood. Blood components are used every day to save people of every age, including premature babies, oncology patients, trauma victims, surgery patients and others in critical need.
 

Q: How much blood will I give during a donation?
A: When you donate whole blood, you give roughly one pint, or 500 mL, of blood. This donation can save up to three lives and takes less than one hour.

Q: What should I do after I donate blood?
A: After you donate blood, you should stay well-hydrated by drinking plenty of water. It typically takes approximately two days for the body to replace the lost plasma – or liquid part of your blood – and 56 days to replace the red blood cells, after which you will be eligible to donate blood again.