My husband has type O blood (is a universal donor and if emergency blood
transfusions are needed, anyone can receive type O red blood cells).  He and
a life-long family friend gave blood for years at Blood Assurance on a
regular basis.  The son of the family friend was involved in an accident and
needed a blood transfusion.  Blood Assurance charged the family for the
blood even after my husband and the son's father went down and gave blood
for the boy right after the accident.  Blood Assurance actually became quite
rude when my husband contacted them to point out that he and the family
member had donated blood there for years and had given blood in the son's
name after the accident.  My husband and the friend of the family no longer
gives blood at Blood Assurance.  Maybe the policy has changed-my husband has
had no contact with Blood Assurance except to be taken off their donor list
after this incident.

-----Original Message-----
From: UTC Staff E-Mail List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Mike
Whittle
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 1:39 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [UTCSTAFF] BOOD ASSURANCE

At 01:12 PM Thursday 3/14/2002, Mary Coleman wrote:
>I am very upset with Blood Assurance and don't know if I will every give
>blood again.

I am also upset, not with Blood Assurance specifically, but with the
rediculous FDA regulations controlling blood donation.  Until two years
ago, my wife and I were regular blood donors.  Now we are told we cannot
give blood - ever - because we used to live in England!  This is in case I
have mad-cow disease (extremely unlikely) and in case this disease might be
spread by blood transfusion (also extremely unlikely).  Also in my
department are two people who cannot give blood because they have been to
Haiti, one who cannot give blood because he has been to Costa Rica, and one
who cannot give blood because she doesn't weigh enough.

No wonder they are short of blood!
Mike

Michael W.. Whittle, M.D., Ph.D.
Cline Chair of Rehabilitation Technology
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 McCallie Ave.
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403, U.S.A.
Phone: +1-423-755-4046
Fax: +1-423-785-2215
Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: http://www.utc.edu/~mwhittle/Whittle.htm