Interstate Blood Bank at 3582 Walker Ave. and Lifeblood Donor Center on campus both encourage students to donate blood, but each location has a different purpose for its donations.
Interstate Blood Bank uses its blood donations for research, while the Lifeblood Center's donations are used by hospitals for transfusions for patients.
Patricia Gavin at Interstate Blood Bank said she is trained to take patients' blood or other body specimens, such as urine or stool. Gavin said the blood given at Interstate is not donated for the purpose of transfusions, but for research.
Jennifer Balink of the Lifeblood Center said there are major differences between the two locations.
"The products we collect here are going to be shipped to the area hospitals," said Balink.
Balink said the campus center is a non-profit donor center in which individuals are not paid for their donations. However, if prospective donors are not qualified to donate, they are offered an opportunity to do research with the center, in which they are compensated.
The Interstate Blood Bank Center offers individuals $25 for their blood.
Pierce said because the Lifeblood Center is non-profit, they offer T-shirts, various gift certificates and candy to donors.
Though the locations have different purposes for the donations received, the process of donating remains the same.
Each location asks prospective donors health questions, conducts physicals and cleans the donor sites daily. Both centers do not allow individuals to donate if they've recently received a tattoo or have been exposed to diseases or viruses. Donors also have to be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds.
Scott said students and other members of the community are encouraged to participate in Club Lifeblood, which allows individuals to gain points after each donation. The points may be gathered over a 12-month period and allow donors to receive items from the donor center's Web site.
For more information about the campus center, students can visit www.lifeblood.org. To reach Interstate Blood Bank Donor Center, students may call 901-323-1136.
