So I had to renew some of my certifications. Seeing as work and other engagements consistently bring me to west LA, I decided to enroll in the certification class at this Red Cross in Santa Monica. The class went from 9AM to 2PM, and getting here was not a bad drive. I was able to get some coffee at a nearby Starbucks, and walked into class right on time. This location has a parking lot, and spaces are not hard to come by. The class had a relaxed vibe. We went over basic CPR and first aid, and practiced CPR and AEDs on dummies provided by the staff here. It was chill and fun. The class flew by quick, and we got our certifications via email within an hour after the class ended. The instructor was chill and communicated effectively. The class had about eight people, and it was pretty enjoyable. This is a great place to get, or renew, your CPR/AED/First Aid certifications. read more

American Red Cross - CPR Classes Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Went to donate blood on a Monday afternoon. Parking in the lot was easy and everyone was friendly and efficient. In and out in about 30 min. Kudos to the nurse: didn't feel a thing when she poked me in the arm, and didn't have any hematoma afterwards. Will come here again for the next donation. read more

Our house burned down in the Palisades Fire and we been waiting for any support from the American Red Cross. It is a joke. I am currently sitting outside the M.A.R.C. In a "waitlist" cue. There was no communication about this disaster relief event and all the appointments were filled before they even announced it. Where was my email from ARC? Why are we requiring appointments at all?! There are like 45+ ARC employees and there is no logic about how this event is being organized or facilitated?! They just turned away a woman undergoing cancer treatment and an elderly woman almost toppled over and crashed head first into the concrete. There should have been an hour or two dedicated to assisting the most vulnerable - the elderly, the disabled and those battling chronic illnesses. American Red Cross do better and stop allowing those that are clearly too inexperienced try to organize resource events, these young people clearly have no empathy, compassion and/or concern for the very people that they should be serving with kindness and dedication. read more

Total chaos at our 10:30 appointment yesterday. They where clearly behind. Everyone was moving with the snail speed without the sense of urgency . After sitting for 45 minutes from my appointment time, the lady wanted to schedule my next one ! At this point I walked out. I didn't won't to spend at least an hour waiting there for my turn. Is overbooking the blood donation is the new normal ? Get your act together. Please. read more

ZERO STARS IF POSSIBLE I'd been here a few times to donate before. One bad experience ruined my relationship with the Red Cross forever. I had been needled and set up to donate blood by a sweet an amazing nurse. She noticed and commented I had tiny veins so she angled the needle a certain way so I would not bruise as easily. She left me after a couple of minutes to grab me a cup of water and an old doctor came up to me. He looked me over and commented she placed the needle wrong. I told him she did it right, it was drawing fine and told him my veins are incredibly small so it was best not to touch it. He placed his hooves on me and basically twistedly jammed the needle deep into my arm. I don't know if he hit a muscle or nerve, but he definitely hit something and made my arm VIOLENTLY SHAKE AND SPASM. As I screamed in pain, the nurse came over and asked what he had done to me. He tried to say, "The patient said..." and I had to basically yell over him, I said nothing and for him not touch it. The nurse then commented he "always did this to her patients", as she bandaged me and he just shrugged it off. Since the blood flow stopped, we could not continue and they had to trash what they took. My arm was destroyed at the elbow site for a few weeks and had a wet feeling, like fluid gathered. I called to report him, but both the hotline and website were useless so I was never able to file a complaint. I do not recommend this location and would suggest donating directly to a local hospital instead. Calls are also excessive and stalkery level. read more

I hate doing this but yesterday I had a horrible experience at the Santa Monica American Red Cross. I've donated here at least 8 times and never had this type of experience. I have very visible veins but somehow this nurse wasn't able to get the needle in the correct position and had to hold the needle the entire time that the blood was draining. At one point she moved the needle and then everything went horrible. My arm had this horrible pain and then blood was everywhere and no one came to assist her. I demanded she removed the needle because it was too painful. I was 3/4 of the way into the donation and they had to discard my blood. As I went to sit and get water, I wasn't given any information that you normally receive after donation. The nurse was apologetic while cleaning the blood of my sweater. This is what my arm looks like today. I will never go back to that facility. read more

American Red Cross - Bruised up arm after donation - CPR Classes Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Had to get my cpr/aed certificate for my NASM personal training cert renewal. Jermaine Jackson really made the class fun, interesting and actually gave some really good tips. I must say I wasn't thrilled at the idea of spending my Wednesday night doing this class, but Jermaine did such a good job that I came out of there feeling confident I could help save someone's life. Definitely recommend taking a class here with Jermaine. read more

I had my CPR/AED cert done here and it was everything I needed it to be. The classroom was bright and airy. The instructor was friendly and knowledgable. Everything about booking and attending this course was hassle free. I would recommend to anyone. read more

Nice lil facility. They now have a form you can pre-fill out that will save you time when you arrive. Good snacks. I'll be back! You can save 3 lives with every donation. read more

They say "home is where the heart is", which in my experience is not correct. Actually, every heart I've seen firsthand has been located in the chest cavity. Anyway - this is what writers would call a "segue" to talk about people who have hearts SO BIG that they would burst out in a fiery, crimson and plasma geyser were they real and not just a literary metaphor. That's right - I'm talking about donors - the "lifeblood" (heh heh heh) of society. I love donors - and I love this place - they give you candy, although they get a little uptight is you bring your own and offer it to people. There's quite a chill vibe here - I couldn't tell what kind of music was playing and there's NO ALCOHOL (deal breaker for some I'm sure). It's a really eclectic crowd of people and while they can be a bit standoffish - I really found myself making some promising connections. The service can sometimes seem a little abrupt, and this scene isn't for everyone, but I had a blast and will be back again. Four stars - I'd give it five except for the fact the staff had never heard of paying for blood and plasma - my regular allows this all the time! Must be a LA thing I guess... read more

Before St.John's Medical Center stopped its blood donations, I donated every 2 months and was very happy to help. Since then, I tried to donate at the Red Cross in Santa Monica but two out of the three appointments I scheduled were cancelled by them without any notice! I took off work to donate and the Red Cross did not even have the decency to call or text me (believe me, they have my number - they call incessantly for monetary donations as well)! I now donate at UCLA, where they treat me with respect and do NOT sell the blood they collect like American Red Cross does! read more

If you donate blood to them, NEVER give them your phone number. Otherwise, you can expect calls from the Red Cross every day, and sometimes more than once a day, demanding that you come in to donate more blood. I learned this one the hard way. Donating blood is a wonderful thing to do - you can also donate at a lot of the local hospitals instead of dealing with the Red Cross and being harassed by their phone banks forever. read more

Great place to donate. So easy...make a quick appointment online at www.givelife.org, select time, and show up. Even though I hadn't donated since NY, it was such a quick process, no more than 30 mins. Ok, so I am a quick bleeder, which is convenient, but still you could donate on lunch and be back. The staff was so sweet and very professional with a needle. Overall great experience. btw, you can register online and they will send you reminder emails only when you request them, either every time you are eligible (every 2 mos) or just when there is a shortage and they are in need. Yay, for a quick online scheduling process and no spam! read more

I've donated blood here a few times. Whenever the KLOS blood drives are going on I pick this location. It's always well staffed and very organized. They have lots of cots to donate on. I always ask to have them prop it up cuz I hate donating flat. The people around always whine about being flat, just ask and they'll accommodate. Their survey area is made of little partitions rather than an actual room. I've seen a few people pass out in there when they prick their finger and knock the partitions down. It's pretty funny :D I've gotten woozy while filling my bag but never before even donating. read more

I'm a regular donor and the Red Cross app makes is super easy to schedule and keep track of my donations. However, I've had some major issues with the drives at this location over the last 6 months or so. I understand we're still in a pandemic, but I feel like my time has been completely disrespected. More than once, I've shown up for a donation appointment in the middle of the day and nobody is there, the drive has been canceled without giving me any notification. Recently, my drive was canceled and I WAS notified, but then when I came back a few days later for my rescheduled appointment they weren't even set up yet and were running an hour behind. Again, I understand stuff happens and life is still chaotic, but I'm taking time out of my day to give you my blood. I have given the Red Cross gallons of my blood. They need to come up with better communication, not sure how their app can be so good except for this one major thing. read more

Incredible experience. Carla is by far one of the best instructors I've never met. She is knowledgeable and she is amazing. She makes waking up early on a Sunday worth it. read more

Clean and well-organized blood donation spot. I felt safe with the COVID-19 regulations, and the staff was professional and super friendly.

My first time trying to donate blood at KLOS' blood drive. Just awful!! A total cluster-fu#*! I couldn't get an appointment for the first day,so I settled for 5:45 PM on the second day. I arrived early hoping to sneak in early, pick up a T-shirt and a concert ticket and perhaps see a DJ (as KLOS advertised) When I arrived, they were already 1-1/2 hours behind schedule. Only tickets left were for Larry the Cable Guy and Cynthia Fox was nowhere to be found. I walked away. I don't really blame this donation center; I blame KLOS for their false advertising. Apparently the only way to get any goodies was to be first in line on the first day of the drive, which I would think is pretty hard to do. This is the last time I will try to help KLOS and I will now donate blood at my convenience. read more