Blood Centers of the Pacific

Yes, they sell your blood so that it can be used to save lives. If that bothers you, load up on extra cookies, I suppose. Take a bite out of the sweet profits that keep the place in business, saving lives.
In any case, what you should know about BCP is that if you choose to donate, you are essentially subscribing to weekly phone calls from disenchanted Blood Centers of the Pacific representatives, FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
Pardon the melodrama, but seriously, often multiple times a week, they call, and they leave the long-​drawn-​out voicemails. Yes, I donated. Yes, I was a gold level donor. Yes, I think it’s a good cause. But I don’t owe my body to you. You guys don’t own me. I can go to Red Cross instead if I feel like it. (Which I do.)

BCP actually saved my life. I never would have known that my blood pressure was out of control until they told me I couldn’t donate because of that. My reading was ¹⁹⁴⁄₁₀₆! The attendant who took my vitals said, we can’t take your blood today but please promise me you will see your doctor ASAP. It scared me, so I did. Now I’m under a doctor’s care, still working on getting my blood pressure to a normal range. When I do, I will be back to donate regularly again.
THANK YOU, BCP! I never would have known, because there are no symptoms for high blood pressure, and I actually had felt great that day. Little did I know!

I haven’t been able to donate blood for years because of anemia, but my husband does. They offer donors perks like movie tickets, t-​shirts, Starbucks gift cards, coupons for cruise dinner, etc, which is a bonus, but I recently learned that they sell the blood, and I’m ideologically opposed to the idea. The cause is still good but I know now that the organization is partially profit-​driven, and knowing this fact makes it especially infuriating when we get one of their weekly reminder calls for my husband to donate.
I also must add that, based on experience, the staff at the Bush St location are more competent than those at the Masonic St site.

I think I will stick to the Masonic center. Got here early for my appointment and they took people who came after me. Then I got a trainee doing my blood history (I have done this so much I could hand him a form with the info he needs) and he took forever. By the time I left I was late for work so I couldn’t wait the 10 minutes I am supposed too. I would think for something in the down town area you are dealing with people on lunch breaks etc so being on time is very important.
I see from four square and here that it is not uncommon to have to wait past your donation time. I really hope they fix this soon as it is a great location for those who do want to donate.

I donated blood here recently and found the whole process to be a huge headache compared to other locations I’ve donated at. I’ll summarize it by saying they don’t seem to understand that you only have a certain amount of time away from work to donate. They were very slow to get through the questions and get it set up to donate. It took an hour and a half for me to get out of there which is ridiculous. And they said they’d send a donation card… Never received it.
At least it was clean, but they were unorganised. And one I said yes I had been out of the country, well there goes 30 minutes of them scrambling to find out if I can still donate.

Previously I had a bad experience donating blood (will not name the agency) because the nurse decided it might be a good idea to try bending the needle around my vein. People are so dumb sometimes. Fortunately the staff members at Blood Centers of the Pacific are much more friendly and intelligent. When I finally got the courage to try donating blood again, I came here because my friend regularly comes to this location. I’ve had hits and misses with nurses, though. Sometimes they are nice to me, and other times… yeah.
The process of making an appointment online is super easy, and I would highly recommend making an appointment rather than trying to walk-​in since they can be too busy and will tell you to make an appointment online anyways. Checking in on the day of your appointment is also easy but you might find yourself waiting awhile after your designated time if they are backed up with donors. If you are donating whole blood (which is what I did) allot two hours of your time, which should include waiting around for 15 minutes after your donation.
Their lounge area has plenty of small snacks and beverages. There is also WiFi if you are plugged into the machine for a few hours or waiting for a friend who is donating. Overall it was a good experience for me, and I’m now encouraged to become a regular donor here! If you have wanted to donate for awhile, DO IT. This is a good place to start.

Hey! You ever been to the hospital? You ever got a blood transfusion? It takes blood. It takes donated blood. I come here now and again to give platelets. It’s the right thing to do.
The staff are generally pretty friendly and accommodating. They try hard to make you comfortable during donations — which really isn’t easy.
I’d give it 5 stars if receptionist wasn’t always a bit unfriendly. It’s always in my mind, «Hey, I’m about to go plug into a centrifuge for 2 hours. Maybe try being mildly friendly or helpful?»

When people are giving there blood and time, BCP should not waste the donors time. I have been giving blood here for over 5 years but today was the last straw.
They called me yesterday and set a 9 am appointment. I walked out at 9:30 done with wasting my time waiting. Some folks there are hard working and nice but now that I read other reviews, I see there is a rift with management, that seems to impact the overall service level.

After having lapsed my donations for a few years due to children and lack of free time I decided to take my lunch hour to donate some blood. I called that morning and made an appointment for 12:15. I showed up on time but the receptionist had stepped away. Not to worry, she came back a few minutes later and got me set up. There was one person waiting and another on the phone with an apparent issue but was also waiting to be drawn. By now it was 12:30 and there was no sign that my turn was coming any closer. I knew that once with the technician it would still be awhile before I actually get a needle in my arm. I waited 15 more minutes when I finally decide to leave. Could I have been more generous with my time? Perhaps. But that’s why I made an appointment.
I know there is always a need for blood donors. But I really wish they valued my time as much as they value the precious gift each donation means to a recipient.
Now stop calling me.

I used to donate here.
«Non profit only for line staff. According to guidestar .org The CEO and other executives of make up to $ 450K per year by selling your blood
Fiscal Year Starting: Jan 01, 2012
Fiscal Year Ending: Dec 31, 2012
Total Revenue $ 65,865,018
Total Expenses $ 65,407,168
???
During the 2010 union contract negotiations, management explained how BCP is going through financial hardships and therefore they were unable (more like unwilling) to offer any serious raise that we deserve.
However, they then turn around and give themselves anywhere from 5−19% (yes 19) increments in 2011. Nora Hirschler’s 2010 base pay was $ 280 K and in 2011 it was $ 303K. Others in management also gained substantial increments. The medical director’s salary went up by $ 41K in one year. All of this money is brought in by selling human blood!
Directors also receive $ 30k — $ 50k bonuses on top of their salaries each year.
The only reason we are non profit is that management’s disgustingly large salaries ensure we do not make money. The community of blood donors should understand that this company is making money by selling their blood and is treating those who actually service the patients and care like crap.»
– Glassdoor. com review

Disclaimer: This review pertains to the army of telemarketers employed by this organization.
What a bunch of total psychos; I haven’t given blood here but somehow they bought my number and have been calling my mobile daily. They never leave a message identifying themselves and when you call back their message says «Please hold for an agent» then dumps you into a hold music loop. It took over two weeks of this for me to ever get to a real person to even find out what business it was that so desperately needed to speak to me.
I won’t be finding out if they are a credible place to donate because after their overzealous obsession with my digits I would rather open a vein and spill it on the sidewalk than give them my personal information if this is how they use it when I haven’t given it to them.

Worst experience I have ever had donating blood and ultimately made me not donate blood. They do not have their s%%t together and were really painful to work with. They need help and lots of it before I go back.

They have computers for you to surf online while you give blood!
Also good snacks and friendly staff.

I give it a 5 because it saves lives! Staff is professional, friendly and even entertaining. Complimentary parking, bevs and snax. Giving blood is easy and takes maybe 1 hour. Longer if you’re the hero (heroine) who donates packed red cells and/​or platelets.
Got a free giants t-​shirt for my trouble. Loved the french hostess at the snack bar, she had me intrigued and grateful for the tête-​à-​tête.

Been coming here for years, consistently every 8 weeks… Gold level donor status (don’t worry it doesn’t do anything special for you, trust me).
The last couple visits have made me rethink my choices. Of course, I set up an appt. every time, but over the last few visits I’ve had to wait 30+ minutes to get started after arriving. While trying again to donate today I asked the receptionist if she had any idea how much longer it would be and she said «The supervisor is on the phone». Great, that helps… thanks. I took the time to fill out the forms and waited about 40 minutes before I finally left (wasted my entire lunch break on this and didn’t even end up with a donation.
Obviously I love donating as I do it as often as I can, but this location doesn’t care about their patron’s time at all. The problem is they’ll take walk ins and don’t plan for the appts they’ve already got on the books. Even if they don’t have any walk ins show up, their website gives the ability to schedule 3 people every 15 minutes, which is absolutely absurd given the staffing levels this place has. No way can they get through 3 people in 30 minutes, let alone 15.
Do not waste your time here until this location can figure out how to operate without 6 people in the waiting area all the time.

It’s hard to throw a bad rating over to any nonprofit, but this is very, very necessary. I’ve been donating blood regularly for the last 10 years, and just started using Blood Centers a couple months ago. My first appointment was a normal whole blood donation, and the nurses repeatedly pitched me to do the double red cell donation next time (because it’s more efficient, helps more, etc.).
Unfortunately, the pitch included these phrases: «only takes a little more time than whole blood», and «not any different than what you’re used to».
So yesterday, after an hour of sitting in the donation chair, I attempted to calmly ask the nurse why I was told the donation lasted only a «little longer» than whole blood. No response. I also asked why I wasn’t informed beforehand that the plasma injection (which happens about every 30 seconds) hurts really badly and makes your arm freeze up. No answer, just a small apology for the inconvenience.
I love helping out, but I feel like the nurses here are very misleading in what they’re telling patients who just want to do something good. For me, I have a fear of needles and it’s already hard for me to just get in the chair, so for something like this to be thrown on me without any information beforehand by the professionals who are performing it on a daily basis was very frustrating and deceiving. I’m definitely going back to Red Cross.

Where can one sell sperm? I mean I dont really need it right now. How often can you go?
Are there places that buy blood? How much do they pay? How often can you go?
Why is my blood so freaking dark compared to everyone elses?
Can I take a bunch of snack items afterward or just one???
I bet Edward Cullen would go nuts in here.
Davids Bottom Line– My mind wandered all over the place while sitting there donating blood.

In Seattle, I regularly donated and volunteered at various mobile locations for the Puget Sound Blood Center. It did get the job done but in a slightly haphazard way. The Blood Centers of the Pacific was relatively easy to work with save for how impossible it is to get a hold of them on the phone unless they’re calling you.
Since it’s the season of giving, I was pretty excited to donate my 8^th pint (which equals a gallon, now you can’t get the picture out of your head huh? You’re welcome). Following is what you should typically experience:
1.) The questionnaire is done on a handheld electronic system that looks a lot like a kids toy (but NAY!). It’s rather extensive but worth it to be truthful about where you’ve traveled and if you’ve decided to cover yourself with tats in recent years.
2.) Then you’re ushered into a private room for a 1:1 with the phlebotomist who will take your blood pressure, clarify things in the questionnaire and prick your finger to test your iron.
3.) Next, you can decide whether you want to give whole blood or have your red blood cells collected and separated in a machine. The latter takes about 10 – 15 minutes longer but is ultimately more useful for the blood center in utilizing your donation. I opted for the machine process and they cycle the blood back to you which oddly, makes your body go cold. Thankfully, they heap heating pads on you to make you feel like it’s «almost» a spa treatment. Ahhhhh
*15−30 minutes later*
4.) Oh snap, now you’re ogling all the goodies in the canteen with a brightly colored bandage around your arm. With four kinds of juices, water, doughnuts, pastries and other snacks at the ready, enjoy the well-​stocked refreshment station before you’re on your way feeling good about doing your part for the community.
5.) Plus! You can receive points for donating that go towards things like t-​shirts and movie tickets. Pretty savvy guys, I see what you did there.
Tips:
— Eat a hearty meal and drink plenty of water leading up to your donation
— Do not train for Iron Man the next day (or a few days after in fact)
Two nitpicky things:
— Please update your system to reflect when people have donated because a reminder phone call 2 days after said donation isn’t exactly accurate
— Allow people to create and log into profiles on your website before their first donation

I’ve been donating plasma here for last 9 months or so. I have AB blood, which makes me the least useful blood donor, but the most useful plasma donor — AB is the universal plasma type. (So if you’re AB, get your butt to a blood center and donate!)
For those not in the know, when you donate plasma, you’re hooked up to the apheresis machine which separates out the various components of your blood. It keeps the plasma and returns your red cells to you. (Bonus! People often don’t feel faint or weak after donating plasma because you get your red blood cells back.) Plasma donation takes about 40, 45 minutes compared to the less than 10 minutes for whole blood and 2 hours for platelets.
I’ve also found that the people at BCoP are really friendly. They always seem very appreciative of me as a donor. Maybe because I’m a plasma donor and I go every month, I don’t get bugged on the phone to set up an appointment. I do get emails from Pauline with available times, and she is wonderful!
During the actual donation, after the questionnaire, iron test, etc, I lay down, covered with blankets and warm cloths behind my head, watch TV, read a book, work (one-​handed) on my computer. It is, dare I say, a pretty pleasant experience!

I’ve donated at Blood Centers of the Pacific several dozen times, and although giving blood could never be described as «fun», these guys at least do their best to at least make it pleasant.
You fill out a long (~50 questions) survey, a researcher checks your vitals and your veins, and then you’re on the table ready to make a donation. I tried apheresis a few times (where they spin out your platelets), but it always gave me chills and made me woozy, so I stick with whole blood donation now. Takes 10 – 15 minutes to donate, and then you’re off to the canteen for juice and sweets.
The staff is always helpful, considerate, and kind. See you in 8 weeks!