I've been donating blood for nearly 25 years, and at this point, I can tell how experienced a phlebotomist is the moment the needle goes in. I decided to leave a special review for the American Red Cross Donation Center in Santa Ana because I was greeted with such a warm welcome and genuinely felt well taken care of by the skilled staff throughout my visit. Everyone was wonderful, especially the gentleman at check-in and the rest of the team. They were incredibly friendly, and it was obvious they had built great relationships with many of the regular donors. It felt like one big community, and I found that really heartwarming. It was truly a beautiful atmosphere to see. My work schedule is always unpredictable, so even when I make an appointment, I sometimes can't arrive on time. That's why I usually prefer walking in whenever possible. When I'm eligible to donate again in two months, this will definitely be the place I come back to. Best of all, the donation was practically painless, and the needle mark was barely noticeable afterward. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Highly recommended! read more

American Red Cross - Red tape - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I have been donating blood at this location for at least 2 decades. It's close to home, it's easy to make an appointment online, and the staff is very professional. This week, Randi was exceptional. She checked me in quickly, and when I asked for a blanket, she brought me a heated one! The current promotion is a long-sleeved t-shirt, and she asked for my size before bringing me one after I finished my donation. I was treated like a princess. The only downside of this location is that I don't get to see Peter anymore. I think he got a promotion (well deserved), but I miss his kindness and warm smile. read more

I've been coming regularly for almost a year now. This location has pretty decent staff, I don't get bruised as often at this particular location. There are a couple of visits that went a bit smoother so there are definitely some techs that are top tier. I don't love the wait time that I tend to run into on some of the earlier appointments but that's not going to deter me from coming back read more

Came here to donate as my hemoglobin was high. First time donating , hate needles, hate seeing blood. Enter Karina -- the Red Cross angel -- who calmed me down, brought me to earth, relaxed me, had me talking about my wife and my life -- within 10 minutes we are talking like old friends. Before i even knew it, it was over. Karina - you helped me more than you'll ever know. Thank you for existing! read more

My daughter donated blood at one of their high school drives and was the last one taken in, so she wasn't able to get her community service verification form signed as the American Red Cross staff had packed up (as well as the High School student volunteers) and left as she was resting post-donation with a few of the kind high school staff members that had waited for her while she sat with the remaining snacks and drinks that were still available. To graduate high school, students are currently required to put in 8 hours of community service, so every hour definitely counts. I was worried that she wouldn't get her credit, so I searched up the American Red Cross in Orange County and dropped a letter along with the forms in the mail with my contact information. In no time I received a friendly response from Peter Vu, an account manager with them explaining how it would be an hour of donation time that he will log onto the form and send back to us. We corresponded about a few other things as well, and he was always very cordial, prompt, and very grateful. These 5-stars go to our experience alone with Peter Vu. What a great representation of the company. Thanks for all of your help Peter!! It was very much appreciated!! read more

Jessica Perez was my phlebotomist. Her technique is excellent and she made the whole procedure so smooth and painless. Very professional and pleasant to work with. Red Cross is so blessed to have her read more

I am so disappointed in their new system for checking hemoglobin. Instead of the finger prick, they are doing an automated system that slips over your left thumb. The trick is to keep your thumb WARM, otherwise you will fail. You are given 2 attempts at this. They also offer "hot hands" mini heating pads to help keep finger warm. However, the last two times I've come and used this method, I have failed both times due to a low reading and was not able to donate either time. It is such a waste of my time and money coming here for nothing. I highly suggest they go back to the finger stick method. I will be contacting higher ups about this issue. I want to continue donating blood. This new way makes it impossible. I never had any issues before read more

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I would leave a zero star review if I could. If you need to be OSHA compliant, do NOT take their online CPR/AED/First Aid course. They do not offer any in person skills classes, which is what you need to be compliant. Now I have to start over with someone else and repay the full amount. No refund offered, even though they don't offer the classes needed. read more

I'd give 0 stars if I could. I used to be able to give blood all the time and my iron levels have always been normal and I could donate. Now the Red Cross has switched to these terrible faulty thumb reader machines, and they always run super low. I used to be able to give blood all the time but now, turned away every single time. This machine always says my iron levels are low. One time it even said 8.8, but if I was that anemic, then I'd have to go to the hospital and would obviously not be functioning enough right now to be able to write this. I asked them multiple times to accommodate me and let me do the finger stick since that test has a more accurate reading, but they refused and also refuse to provide finger stick tests. After being turned away last week, I got iron gummy pills. I've been eating red meat every day and not at the same time as my calcium. I've been eating more overall (I don't normally eat much), and I've been deliberately overdosing on iron pills and taking lots of vitamins. Despite this however, I went to Red Cross to donate blood again and still got a low iron reading from the stupid machines. I asked them for a blood finger stick test once again and they refused to accommodate me. I'm going to be filing a complaint against the Red Cross soon for their failure to accommodate me with a more accurate hemoglobin test and their earnest desire to continuously reject me and my blood due to their faulty machines! read more

I like coming here to donate blood. I like the do the rapid fast pass and then see if I'm able to donate blood. The people are kind and helpful. It is quick and easy. Then after there is a small break and tasty snacks and water. read more

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I used to go to this location every month for the past year to donate platelets until the IV infiltrated my arm. All my donations have gone so smoothly and maybe the phlebotomist that put the needles in me wasn't experienced enough. On November 3, 2024 I went to my 10:30am appointment. I was seen by Karina and she was nice as most of the staff are. After the machine started up all the staff went into their station. I felt something off on my right arm, like something popped then started to feel pressure on my arm about a minute or so the Apheresis machine started to beep. Two techs came to help me and Karina just stood up from here station and asked what happened Sara? Never even went to check on me. The one tech looked at my arm and I saw her face looked worried and quietly said you're going to bruise and I saw my inside elbow was swollen like fluid built up and my fingers were tingly and my arm was in so much pain. The other tech said I'm not going to sugar coat your arm is going to bruise. I asked what happened and they said I either moved or the needle was put in wrong. I sure as hell didn't move as I know not to especially after a year of successful donations. They told me to ice first 24 then Warm compress next 24 hours. The other tech took my info down and said someone would call me. They just left me in the waiting station and I ended up Googling what happened to my arm. I was really disappointed and scared that happened. I started to notice fluid build up in my bicep too. I could barely move my arm and had to drive home. I sent a picture to my PCP and she prescribed me antibiotics and ibuprofen and suggested I get a tetanus shot just in case. It's been almost two weeks now and my right arm is fully engulfed with a bruise. I am so self conscious to wear short sleeves and had to purchase long sleeves to cover my arm. It really has affected my day to day life and my arm is still a bit tender. Red Cross ended up calling me and offered to reimburse me for any medical related expenses. But it's become such a traumatic experience I unfortunatley can never donate again. Hope Red Cross can train their staff to properly handle these type of situations and have fully trained staff. I'll try and update when it's fully healed. read more

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My first ever platelet donation did not go very well at all. Sure, I can chalk part of it up to poor planning on my part, however, never before have I ever been taken to an actual donation chair almost an hour AFTER my checkin time!!! It was my understanding that one of the machines was malfunctioning, but aside from that - they took another patient in before me who arrived well after I walked in for my scheduled appointment. That was a definite red flag moment. Herschel was my main nurse. She was great at first, but she's only one nurse whereas there were at least 4 others who did not seem to have quite the work ethic that she did. After I stated that I needed to end my donation early, she and the another nurse became completely indifferent. It was mind-boggling. I have never experienced quite that level of a lack of communication and carelessness from a health care facility. The only follow-up that I received was the other nurse handing me the usual discharge piece of paper with my donation identification number (DIN) on it. Not a single word was said. The volunteers were nice and seemed concerned, but they weren't the ones taking care of my donation. I hope there is enough for someone to use it. I chose Santa Ana even though it was a bit of a trek from my hometown of Downey because it was the only appointment available in the area in the morning for this two-hour long donation. Shoulda read the Yelp reviews beforehand. Lol. Lesson learned. Also, whoever left me a voicemail from an area code 614 phone number did not even state that they were with the American Red Cross. This person mentioned, though, that they were "calling on a recorded line." They've never stated that before. Strange. Unprofessional to not state who you're calling on behalf too. read more

1)this is review for organization as whole not exactly for this one location 2)They are friking scammers i never recieved any of they offered online gift cards exept once and i donated HALF-gallon of blood in total , moreover at one particular location in beverly hills (i think it called something like David-Judea), one of volunteers/organizators called Sarah stole my personal data and use it to buy $5amazon subscription for herself until i find out one year later so it actually cost me $60 to go and donate blood here 3) in my whole life of donating in other countries i never ever have this small small sized snacks and looks like they do that on purpose so you will feel very tired afterwards and wish to never come again read more

So for my birthday, I decided to do something different than other years by donating my blood and oh boy am I glad that I chose this location for doing it! So far, this is the best location of American Red Cross! Peter and Alex are awesome! They surely made my donor experience easier and much more exciting! Will come back in the future and highly recommend friends and family to give this place a shot! read more

They are doing an outstanding job here. Peter is a pleasure and a delight. The volunteers are always friendly and welcoming (and great conversation while I'm having my juice and snacks in the cantina!). The nurses are well trained and attentive. I come by every chance I get. Donate blood; save lives! read more

I have been here twice. The staffs are nice and friendly however they need more practice how to inject the needle. I have done multiple blood withdrawals and there were no signs of skin allergic reaction. The first time, the nurse chose my right hand, as he felt the vein. He injected but no blood came out, he slightly withdrew the needle, then he took about 4 minutes to have finally came out. I had no bruise but a rash. It was red and very itchy. No touching or any itchy cream, not even lotion. I got better, and it is little scar. I booked second appointment. This time, the nurse chose left hand as she said she did not to put pressure that scar. When she injected the needle, she could not find it. She removed, inserted, swirl the needle around to find my vein. As you know, the needle is huge and so painful when she did that. She took at least more than 10 minutes playing with the needle under my skin. Then, she called her supervisor to help her as she took it too long and I told her that I am hurt. Her supervisor came and made blood come out. My hand showed bruised the next day, and it developed itchiness and many tiny red pumps on my entire arm. After 2 months, the pumps went away but the needle spot has a big rash for a week, disappeared and reappeared. I have no problems with the service as everyone is nice and attentive that they answered any questions. My concern is the nurses should be constantly tested and practice more on their needle skills. I like to donate blood which I will continue to do it. For the third time, I pick different location in Fountain Valley, I hope they can determine the blood vein at the first shot. read more

I visited the Parkway Red Cross location this afternoon expecting to donate double red blood ( O+ ) and upon my arrival, the OLD man answers the door and looks at me like I'm going to Rob the place! When I say I'm here for a Blood donation, he say, ok ..we'll get in! and continues to be very agitated throughout my short time there.. While the staff where picking their asses, talking to each other and not assisting anyone while I'm sitting there waiting to get started..Not a soul asked me to come this way AFTER 15MINUTES!!! I simply Canceled my appointment, and I left.. They DO NOT APPRECIATE donors PERIOD! Go to City Of Hope instead!! One thousand time a better service and appreciation. These guys SUCK read more

Had a great experienced being certified in CPR+AED for adults, children, and infants! Be sure to come a little bit earlier if you get confused like me, as the main entrance is on the side of the building and is locked. There were about 10 of us in the class and everything was easy to follow, equipment provided was high quality, and the class went smoothly. I'll definitely be coming back to the Red Cross when I need to be re-certified from now on! read more

I came here to donate blood and had an interesting experience. I really wanted to give this place 5 stars because some of their staff is friendly and professional, but there are some staff members that are a little too uptight which makes you feel a bit unwelcome. The front desk person was friendly and so were the two women whom finally did my blood plasma donation draw. You can do the usual blood donation or you can do what they call a "double donation" where they take twice the donation amount of blood out of you...remove the red blood cells so that they can keep it....then return the blood plasma to your body. I opted to the the double donation because it looked interesting and it made me feel like I was doing a little extra to help someone in need. Now, the staff members whom helped process my intake are the reason why my experience was not the best. I told them that my doctor mentioned, in passing, that it may be a good idea to donate blood to the Red Cross. The intake woman immediately said that I was not allow to donate blood because it would be for a medical purpose and that is a different type of situation. After telling her several times that my blood donation is not for medical purposes...that my doctor did not write me a prescription to get my blood drawn...I was there to donate for non-medical reasons; this intake nurse insisted that I was there to make a medically required blood donation. I even called my doctor on the phone (while at the Red Cross Blood Services Center) and he explained that this is not a medical necessity nor is the blood draw for medical purposes, but the intake nurse insisted that she speak to her supervisor to get approval for me to donate blood. As you would expect, the manager approved me for blood donation because there was no reason to not let me donate. I was then transferred to a blood drawing technician whom worked together with another lady to draw my blood (these two ladies were very nice). If I was not in such a good mood that day, I would have walked out of this place and donated my blood somewhere else. read more

American Red Cross - Double donation of red blood cells. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I donated here yesterday & I just have to say I was very impressed with the woman that assisted me. She got my vein in her first attempt & I am so glad that she didn't have to go fishing around in there to find it (that shit hurts when they do that) despite that good part I'm not gonna lie though I was a little upset. I had to wait a long time to be helped, but there was other there before me which is understandable but & I had to wait waaaay past my appointment time & they don't allow anyone else inside with you if they're not going to donate (babe had to wait in the car) It is what it is though especially during these times of Covid where social distancing needs to be maintained & many places have to enforce the number of people inside of their establishment. None the less though I'm happy to see that this place is spotless clean, the staff was kind, I feel great after donating (hoping my blood ends up going to a kindhearted person(s) & not some racist hating asshole, by the way in case it does you're welcome) & I'm happy to not have left with a messed up arm. Good job & shout out to my Leo sista that has her birthday a day after mine. #BlackLivesMatter #BrownLivesMatter #AllLivesMatter read more

American Red Cross - Donation all complete :) - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Santa Ana, California

If you're taking an online/in-person training class hopefully this review saves you a full morning of wasted working hours and gas. I took a hybrid online/in-person CPR & 1st Aid course. I completed the online portion the night before. The next morning I showed up to the physical class portion (9am-10:30am) and was told I by the instructor to show proof of online completion because he doesn't have access. I showed him on my laptop all of the online course modules at 100% completion. He said those are just the modules and I should have gotten an online course completion email so finish up and come back to the next class at 11am. I drive to work and see there is nothing left to complete on my online training, then verify both through online chat and by calling the Red Cross that all I need to do is show up to class, my online portion was already complete and they don't send online completion emails anymore. I am also told to take a specific screenshot of a particular page that says 100% for the online portion. I drive back for the "11am class" and show the instructor the screenshot (he doesn't even mention an email) and he says "okay you can show up to the next class at, (pause while he looks it up on his phone) "noon". !! What a waste of my company's money, my gas, and working hours! The class was fine, but the lack of organization or letting people know what to show was not. Other details include: Arriving to a locked door to only be opened by other people confused and trying to figure out where the class is but were already let in somehow. Being told initially from the booking instructions the online portion is a quick 30 minutes (give yourself 1-1/2 hours at least to actually learn it). read more

Like most people I want to help others by giving blood. But showed up for my appointment and waited 45 minutes only to be told it would be another 30 minutes. So why make appointments if you run over an hour late. People have other commitments like kids to pick up etc... Second time in a row American Red Cross has messed up my appointment. Staff member was friendly and polite but I won't return to this location. Hopefully they get better organized going forward. read more

Peter and the staff are always professional and make you feel welcome. They are also very efficient. The last whole blood donation, I was in and out within 25 minutes. I was very impressed by the staff in my previous platelet donation. Since you can't move for 3 hours, the staff came by to check on you, scratch your itchy nose, and feed you candies. How sweet is that? You can tell people here love doing what they do. Thanks guys! I always walkout of here with a smile :) read more

What a POS site! I've been donating for years and never been so disrespected. Made an appointment and showed up early. I didn't get pulled into the office until 40 minutes past my time. Their nurses are rude and have terrible communication skills. Said they had trouble pulling up a form.. doesnt even make sense. All of my info is online and I completed the rapidpass. read more

I had a jolly good time here giving platelets for the first time. I made an appointment and shortly after got a call from Peter letting me know how the procedure was and not to take any pain medications 48 hours prior. He stressed that it was a longer appointment than giving blood and that was totally fine by me. I had an afternoon to spare. So they do all the prescreening stuff, you read the paperwork, blah blah blah it's all important! It all zipped by so fast. All of the employees I came into contact with were really friendly and efficient at their job. Once they got me all settled in, I popped on Netflix and watched "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina". I watched a few episodes during my time and it was overall not painful or uncomfortable. The draped me with blankets and I was so cozy. I felt fine after the procedure, just a little woozy from the blood hokey pokey (they take out your blood, spin it for the platelets, then put it back in, so two needles). So I ate some Oreos and had a nice chat with the Mormon Elders that were volunteering there. Overall a lovely experience. read more

This donation spot is amazing! Santa Ana rocks! They are working their booties off with smiles on their faces. Special thanks to employees: Jason, Marie, and Susan! read more

I've been going here for platelet donations for years and the staff has always been top notch with their care with each donor. Always accommodating and looking to make you as comfortable as possible. At the desk, Peter will get your appoints set up and get you checked in. The nurses are all friendly and provide the best of care. Can't say enough positive things about them all. read more

If you're a healthy adult that's able to, please donate blood whenever you can. Don't wait for a catastrophic event to happen before you donate. I have been coming here for years and have always had a pleasant experience.The employees are all knowledgeable, friendly and professional. When you make an appointment before hand, there is minimal wait and you will be in/out within 20 minutes. Walk-ins are welcomed but you might have to wait for an available time. Just make an appointment on their website. It's quick, easy and convenient. There's always a great selection of complimentary snacks to help recover after your donation. read more

It was once said..."In order to understand human or moral goodness, the individual must first recognize what it means to be good and do good deeds." I've donated blood a few times at blood drives through work, but I decided to become a steady platelets donor about a year and half ago after donating blood for the first time at this location. The nurse advised since my blood type was AB+, I could be a universal donor regardless of blood type, but more importantly my platelets would be most valuable as it would help save lives for cancer patients. With that said...sign me up! The platelets donation process takes about 2+ hours, but goes by pretty fast because you're able to watch a movie of your choice during the procedure. Here are some tips and information on the process Tips! - Make an appointment - Eat a full meal on the day of donation - Drinks a whole lotta water - No Aspirin 48/hrs before the donation Donation Process - Sign in at the front desk - Read Blood donation pamphlet - Questionnaire and vitals with nurse (checks iron levels and blood pressure) - Pick your DVD movie you want to watch during the procedure. (My favorite part! Its like Redbox at the Red Cross) personal TV monitor above your donation bed with head phones - Platelet donation (procedure is as follows: Needle in both arms. On one arm blood is drained and processed through a machine that extracts your platelets. After extraction, your blood will processed back through the other arm. Once the platelets bag is full, the donation process is complete. - Head to canteen area for snacks and juices as the blood/platelets donation might make you feel weak afterwards. The staff/nurses are always friendly and go above and beyond to make your donation experience as pleasant as possible. I believe we can all make a difference, so if your not afraid of needles and have some free time on your hands...make a donation to your local Red Cross donation center! read more

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Love is in the air and also in our bloodstream. With Valentine's Day around the corner, I wanted to share some of myself with others who need my love more than ever. Love can come in a form of a hug, a kiss, or in this case, a needle from my body to a bag. My cells are your cells and we donate to the popular, American Red Cross in Santa Ana. Located to the north of Fourth St and Golden Circle Drive in a office complex area, you will find American Red Cross. You will see the signage with the many various vehicles American Red Cross has for their drives and emergencies. I have a big history with Red Cross spanning from Los Angeles to Georgia. With Red Cross being one of the most historic logos, you know you can get help. I won't pick favorites on who has a better donation process or location, but rather promote that we all have to help in some form. Money is one way, but sometimes people need more help by donating blood, volunteering, and become CPR certified. I've donated to children and I've helped many people who I will never get to see. The most important part of all this is: You feel good at the end of the day. I mean, you get a little pinch from the needle, but a little pain means a great reward. The donation process is very simple. You can schedule your donation online or call this or many other American Red Cross Centers. At the Santa Ana Office, Peter is the guy in charge of scheduling and many other functions of this facility. Since my schedule is so hectic, I did mine online and on the same day. You can fill you pre-interview questions online or when you visit. Christy is an amazing nurse who took care of me on my first visit. I am used to going to Woodland Hills and being taken care of by Marissa and Susanna. Just saying Hi! The whole blood/apheresis donation is very simple. Its the needle part that wants to be part of you that can take awhile. Whole Blood process can take about 15-20 minutes. Apheresis can take about 2 hours because of its complex process. The staff makes it easy on you by chatting with you and having time fly by. If you are you are donating platelets or double red cells, you can watch a movie for the LONG, but rewarding process. At the end of the donation, you can sit down, Grab some snacks, drinks, and chat with other Red Cross donors who have a lot to share. Just keep eating because you'll be DRAINED. Of course, Peter wants to see who else can schedule their appointment. Donating blood, cells, and platelets is an ultimate sacrifice because you are doing the right thing. It doesn't have to be money, but when they say give a little piece of yourself, they mean give your body and soul too. If you are afraid of needles...Well, I was too! At the end of the day, a piece of you is inside someone and they'll start sharing a little of your characteristics. I wonder if they are technically Yelpers now since my blood is in them?! Yelp...My passion is not to write my reviews, but to share my experiences with you. Take that journey and share your story. read more

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I give blood on a regular basis and this was the worst experience I've ever had! They are totally inefficient so even though no one is there, you still end up waiting. The lady that did mine was so inexperienced that she didn't get my vein the first time and had to wiggle it to get it right. This was soooo painful I had to stop her. Dear Res Cross- This location needs more training. read more

American Red Cross - Give blood! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This place is the very best. Love the entire staff and nursing crew, including Peter, who runs the front desk and the last Blockbuster Video store in Orange County. The Blockbuster is next to his intake desk in file cabinets, but don't knock it until you taken a peak inside: pure gold. Anyways, this place may have saved my life just last night. I had been experiencing bad blood flow, headache, cramping of my arms and legs. Without insurance at the moment, I went in for a good old platelet donation hoping to get a flush of my old t-cells to make way or some new. While I almost made the complete donation, my real problem manifested itself and required serious medical attention. Tetanus Infection from a poke received off a rusty, old nail or screw cleaning of my old toolbox in my garage, maybe 5 days prior. It had begun to hurt and appear infected just 2 days before going into this facility. Together with the professional EMT and staff at Foothill I am thankful to say I am alive and well, due to their excellent care performing beyond their call of duty. I'm going to try and bring them flowers and donuts right now for the morning. read more

Our family loves to come and donate. Everyone is nice. But the one that makes it worth coming with wonderful customer skills is Peter. read more

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So Sad We we're both regular and diligent donors. No more, as we had both made donation appointments, that were reconfirmed the day before from the staff to us both. We arrived early to check in. So, when we arrive, we are told that there will be a two hour wait?? We are then told that they had walk-in donors that showed up? So, they blow us off. We'll that's it for us. How disrespectful to us and our time. Never again!! read more

Having only given blood 5 times, all of them this year, as I am new to this Blood giving idea. I am so happy to know where my blood goes, and how it is being used in the region. I always get a report on where my blood was used. One time it was for a child undergoing chemo, the other time it was for a gentleman in San Diego who had a transplant of some sort. How they track you is easy to understand given all of the technology these days, but obviously to take it to the next level and let the giver know that it was used in a particular way is very gratifying. I have given blood at pop up locations, such as the Island hotel in Newport or Toshiba in Tustin, but by far my favorite is at the headquarters in Santa Ana. It is the permanent location and I find that I can get in and out really quick. The atmosphere is fun and the people there are kind and yet have their personalities come through in a really fun way. So now that I have been to the Santa Ana location twice, it has been my location of choice to give. It is close to Irvine, Tustin, and Orange and easy to get to from Newport. Please consider making your appointment with all of the catastrophes going on around the country, people that normally give are tied up trying to protect their life and property read more

American Red Cross - Giving blood + helping others = new blood generated for me - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This is not a paid review. I love these guys. I live in Irvine, so they try send me to the Laguna Hills RC which is closer, but I prefer to come here when I can. There are more beds compared to the LH one and the facility is open for longer hours. It's right next to the zoo and Discovery center, so it's easy to plan a fun, good time around this RC. I tend to not do appointments, because when I miss it, it makes me feel bad, yet I had little instances where I couldn't donate. Most of the times that isn't a Friday or Saturday, there has been enough vacancies for walk-in platelets donations. The whole thing usually takes around only two and a half hours. Every time I visit this place, I feel super happy. read more

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I'm a frequent platelet donor and this is the only donation center I use. The atmosphere is fun and contributes greatly to the enjoyment I get from donating. The staff that I see regularly are incredibly friendly and helpful. The coordinator, Peter, is very amiable, gives great movie recommendations and reviews, and is proactive in setting up the tv for my lengthy donations. Imelda and Jennifer, just two of the wonderful staff at this location, are super knowledgeable and skilled. Every interaction I've had with them, even during times when I was ineligible to donate, has been extremely positive. If the blood product shortage isn't enough reason to donate then surely the friendly environment at the Santa Ana Red Cross donation center is! read more

I refuse to go to this place again. I had an appointment and waited OVER an hour and eventually got up and left. I have been to this location a couple times and for some reason, even with an appointment be prepared to wait A LONG time. I am a Santa Ana resident and would prefer going to the Fountain Valley location. I don't know why they get so behind schedule. It's ridiculous. Fountain Valley is great! Friendlier staff and you don't have to wait hours to donate! read more

Never has my time as a volunteer or donor been devalued as much as it has been by this location. Three appointments scheduled and each time I showed up on time or early and ALL three times, this location was running behind schedule in excess of 30 minutes. Ridiculous!!!! A courtesy phone call should have been given or I should have been notified on arrival. Each time, they let me sit there for 15 to 20 minutes before I was notified that they were running behind and they were vague on how far behind. On my second visit, I pressed further and they would not be able to start my donation prior to 45 minutes after my scheduled appointment. The staff is really nice but more transparency would be appreciated. read more

I stopped donating whole blood a couple years ago and started donating platelets instead. Since I have type B blood, they encouraged me to donate platelets. Since I moved to Santa Ana a couple years ago, Peter has been working the front desk area. I believe he was a volunteer in 2011, and he's now their recruiter. From my experience, he has been really nice to me. He encourages me to come back in. He'll work with me to figure out dates in the future to come back to keep the platelets donations coming in. The process in the beginning is similar to whole blood. You have to read the materials. Then you are interviewed to see if you qualify. The timing of actual donation is about 2 hours. Platelet donations are done with either 1 or 2 arms. I believe the 2 arms method is 20 minutes faster than the single arm method. They have a wide selection of movies (mostly current releases) available to watch during the donation process. Since I'm in school right now, I sometimes donate with 1 arm so I can read my textbooks for class. Nothing is better than sitting in a chair to two hours to get some work done. For some reason, you get cold during the process, and they put blankets on you. You can ask for additional blankets or heating pads. Once donation is completed, you spend about 15 minutes having juice and snacks before you head out. The entire process can be 2.5 to 3 hours long. You can donate platelets once every two weeks if you are gun-ho about it. Easy way to volunteer folks. Plus you get a movie and cookies. read more