Even with one of the best patient care teams in the world at University Health System, we couldn't do our jobs without blood donations. The Blood Bank, which was established to provide blood needed for University Hospital patients, relies on employees, friends, family members, visitors and the community for the donation of blood and blood components.

Blood supplies in San Antonio remain at dangerously low levels and the University Hospital Blood Bank is urging donors of all types to give blood. University Hospital is home of San Antonio's first and largest Level I Trauma Center and as the lead trauma facility for a 22-county area of Texas, and the demand for blood is still outweighing the supply.

While blood donors are needed throughout the year, they are most needed during holidays and in the summer. It is during these times that the number of donations declines while the demand continues to increase. Review Summer blood drive schedule.

Our Services

• Apheresis donation ­ you may be interested in donating platelets to help patients who undergo extensive surgery or have treatments for cancer.
• Whole blood donation ­ We accept blood donations in our blood bank at University Hospital, or we can hold a blood drive at practically any location off-site.

Whole blood donation is the collection of about one pint of blood from a vein in the arm. When blood is collected, it is drawn through a sterile needle into a sterile plastic container. All blood collection supplies are sterile, used only once and then discarded.

Donated blood is typed and tested in our laboratory and used by physicians for transfusion to ill and injured patients.

Donors to the blood bank are volunteers and are not paid to give blood.

There are significant costs associated with collecting, testing, preparing components, storing and shipping blood, recruiting and educating donors and quality assurance.

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