Autologous donations are donations that individuals give for their own use – for example, before a surgery.
Requirements for an Autologous Donation
A directed donation occurs when a patient's family and friends donate blood for his or her upcoming procedure. A patient must give consent and have his/her physician submit a written request for the Red Cross to collect blood from the selected donors.
Carefully consider the following:
The Red Cross accepts both directed and regular donations and encourages eligible donors to give blood for patients in need.
Contact SpecialCollections@redcross.org to determine the availability of services in your area. Include your name, phone number, city and state. Alternatively you can call the Special Collections team during normal business hours M-F. For Northeast locations call 800-634-9069, Southeast call 800-458-5093, Central call 800-644-9435, and West call 800-696-1757.