HOW TO LOSE A DONOR IN 10 DAYS…read more Step 1: call them incessantly at all hours, asking for blood Step 2: entice them with free swag until they finally relent Step 3: scar them for life I've been skeptical about donating blood, as the last time I donated back in 2013ish (with Heartland Blood Center) the apheresis/platelet machine went haywire and the vein in my arm swelled up to the size of a golf ball, after which I went into full-on shock. It was not a good time. Fast forward ten years later, and the mental trauma has subsided enough to the point where I feel comfortable donating a unit of whole red blood to someone who could really use it. Vitalant pestered me for MONTHS before I agreed to come in. They sent me numerous text reminders as well as a couple phone calls. I arrived on-time for my appointment on 3/5/24 at this Naperville location, which is right next to a huge Menards. Shortly after, one of the staff took me into a side room where they did the finger prick to test iron levels. It was a much rougher 'punch' than I recalled from the past, and more painful too. They guided me to a donation chair and I started to get settled in. "I've done this dozens of times before", I said to myself, trying to ignore the splatter of dried blood I could clearly see underneath the counter (someone didn't do a thorough job of cleaning). Arm cuff goes on, needle goes in, juices start flowing..... AND THEN DISASTER STRUCK. The phlebotomist--who was already rushing in a way that made me uneasy--quickly spun around to get something, and the tube carrying blood from my vein got stuck on her scrubs/lanyard/body. The needle got ripped out of my arm and went flying, while my ruby red blood spurted out onto the floor, the table, and a few other places. Processing what had just happened, I looked down at my left arm and went "oh....that's.....not cool". Within seconds, I began feeling those lovely symptoms of shock: cold, clammy and ashen skin, sweaty palms, nausea, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, the works. Luckily I'd experienced this before (in a donation chair, no less) but that did little to calm my nerves. As I laid there trying to keep my sh*t together and not pass out, the phlebotomist apologized and started mopping up the crimson bodily fluids that never reached their destination. She gave me some H20, a cool compress and a salty snack, which slowly brought the color back to my face. I sincerely hope they filled out an incident report, but for all I know they'll opt to sweep this under the rug. If you can believe it, at some point that b*tch tried to gaslight me by saying "well you already looked a little pale when you came in", uh NO, that's my normal skin color. I'm white as a ghost because I'm in utter and literal shock at YOUR lack of professionalism, not because I haven't gone tanning in a while. The hell?? * TL;DR * I gave Vitalant one chance and they blew it, oh man did they f*cking blow it. No grilling kit, Amazon gift card or limited edition platelet bobblehead is going to convince me to donate with Vitalant EVER again. I'm looking at another 3-5 year hiatus until I'm comfortable enough to donate blood with anyone, anywhere, and I will actively discourage people from donating with Vitalant. Let me be clear: the phlebotomist was completely at fault, and even though it was a freak accident, IT WAS 100% AVOIDABLE. She wasn't taking her time, and consequently a donor (me!) was injured. Rushing leads to mistakes, and that's precisely what happened. Were it a small clerical error, that'd be one thing, but this involved a needle in my arm. There's an old saying that goes fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice? Nah, ain't gonna happen. The next time Vitalant calls me (and rest assured, they will), I'll regale them with this story and instruct them to put me on the do-not-call-me-ever-again list. What a nightmare! GAH!

I've been to the Lifesource location in oaklawn Illinois, and that one was my favorite one. Only…read morereason why I stopped by the Naperville one, was because I was already in the area. I'm not such a fan of the Naperville location though, I prefer going elsewhere.

Every donation saves 3 lives! Please donate today! Very professional staff. I come every two monthsread more

As much as I hate coming to do this, I love coming here. Very attentive, gentle, & courteous. It…read moredoesn't take much, everyone should donate if they are able!! Thank You for your care & attention, see you again in a few months!

Posting the hours you take new people would be helpful so someone doesn't waste their time coming…read more They stop taking new people 3 hours before ( 2pm) they close which is at 5pm. I personally feel like 3pm makes more sense if the average time for new donors is 2hrs.

First let me start by saying. If you're going to donate plasma it what 30 to 60 bucks you'll make…read morein less than 2hours. If you're new maybe double the time. So keep in mind you will have to wait in line. If you're on a time limit , like it's 2:30 and your kids get out at 3:00 don't go. Because again it can take up to 2 hours. Plan your trip on a day you have time. Okay now on to the staff. I love the staff Sade,, Dominique, Hannah, Cambria, Justin, Leslie Pebbles, Tristan, JR, Rif and I know I'm missing more but so sorry I can't get you all down. Thank you for your hard work. The place is clean and I know it's hard for you when someone can't donate because they want to take it out on you. But the rules are rules. I wish some people would understand that. I appreciate you

Every time they call I will be there to doante! I so believe in this and the snacks are top shelf!…read morePecan Sandies! mmmmmm. They also give out free stuff, T-shirts and gift certificates for Oberwise. I do the Double Red for cancer patients and takes an hour but you have further wait times to donate again to it works out. I've donated gallons and will continue being a "Univer sal Donor"... Your welcome receipients of my special blood. 8) The lady at the appt desk can be rude at times though (mayve an ex dmv employee)

I donated today and had a good experience. With Covid-19 in full swing, they have options for…read morecompleting your questionnaire from your phone so you can touch one less surface. I wish they more frequently had the swag or gift card rewards, but I give either way. Also wish they had more variety in their snacks. It's typically bags of cookies/chips and juice/pop. It'd be nice if there was donuts or other baked stuff.

I donated blood for the first time at this location and everything was great! The place was clean,…read moreeveryone was nice, the tech did a great job placing the needle and it was really quick. I felt sick for a moment (I had a feeling I would because of my nerves) and was taken care of very quickly. Will definitely be back to donate again!

I'm a firm believer in "you get what you give" in life. Right now I'm a stay-at-home-parent which…read moremeans giving in my community looks different than monitory gifts. That's why I'm happy to live close to a blood donation center. I've been donating blood for decades when it was Heartland blood center, and my mom set the example for me when I was a child that this is something we should all be doing. I was told this past year that there's a greater need for platelets donation than blood right now especially for cancer patients and people with clotting disorders. So I gave it a try and have been primarily donating platelets ever since. It's a much longer process unfortunately (2+ hours every donation) and you can donate every 2 weeks for platelets. Blood is every 8w and I think for some reason plasma is every 3-4w. I used to donate plasma in college and did it twice a week every week for at least a year or more because they paid me for it. That wasn't through Versiti though. The only thing I really have a problem with is that Versiti as a company is borderline harassing me by phone on a regular basis to donate more platelets. I have a family and I have stuff going on in life, but I manage to set my appointments for donation every 2-4 weeks depending on how busy my life is. But I don't think I need a call every day for a week about a $10 e-card promotion if I sign up to donate over the phone. The eagerness over the phone is overwhelming in contrast to the people working in the centers. Other than that, I think it's one of the best ways to give to others.

From the owner: We are stronger together! Established in 1943, Versiti Blood Center of Illinois (formerly Heartland…read moreBlood Centers) combines the strength of blood centers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio with state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratories, physician services, and a world-renowned Blood Research Institute. Your blood will always stay local first, but now we will have even more access to rare and unique blood types to help meet the needs of Illinois hospital patients in need. Together, with you, we promise to continue our mission: we are a beacon of hope.

I been going to Lifesource Blood Service Office in Oaklawn ! Very Good location ! As I posted…read moreearlier Very Good Personnel who wish Help in your time there as you donate blood to help someone .

I wrote this review on 2-26-11 but I think I put it on the wrong business page. I've continued to…read morebe impressed by this location of Heartland Blood Centers. Here is the review: Wow! I have never given blood before, and I was pretty anxious about it. The wonderful staff at Heartland Blood Centers in Winfield made the experience so positive I am actually looking forward to going back and donating again (which I never ever expected). I tried last week and they (Crystal- so nice) told me they couldn't let me do it because I had a headache. They were nice about it and explained that it might not be safe for the recipient of my blood (because I could be developing a cold or flu) and might also exacerbate my headache if I went through with it. I appreciated how careful and professional they were about it. This is serious business. I went back today and was able to donate. I was so impressed by everyone working- they were patient, friendly, informative, professional, positive, likable and careful. They made me feel important and special. It was such a positive and caring place to be. I was really surprised. Make sure if you have never done this before to bring a list of all out of country travel you have done in the past three years. You will also need your photo ID. Make sure you've had a good meal about two hours before going and that you've had a lot to drink in the days leading up to going. They have you read some information, fill out a form, and then take you into a room to ask you questions and go over your information. They take your blood pressure, temperature, and then do a finger prick to check your iron level. If all looks good they take you to the donation chair and explain everything thoroughly. I didn't think that it hurt at all. The regular whole blood donation only took about 8-9 minutes. They kept checking in with me making sure I was OK. After you're done and you sit in the chair a bit with your arm raised they let you go sit in the waiting area and drink and eat snacks. I love snacks :) so this made me very happy. They have a great selection. They have rewards programs you can get involved with. They said they'll let me know after they test my blood if everything is OK. I guess you can donate every 8 weeks or so. The other thing I thought was cool is that my husband has been donating blood for years at another Heartland Blood Centers location in Westmont, and just came with me for moral support. They treated him super well too, offering him snacks and drinks, and that made me feel good that they were so nice to him. My husband was really impressed with this location too- he kept saying, "Wow, she (Chaz) was really good.) I guess I could go on and on. I just never thought it would be such a positive experience. I highly recommend this location!

Most of us will NEED blood products at some point in our lives, but not enough donate. It's so EASY…read more(says the girl who used to nearly faint at the sight of needles and blood)! If *I* can do it, you can, too. Trust me. I'm now a Heartland (Bloomingdale) regular, but recently had to cancel one of my Saturday appointments. Luckily Winfield and Aurora are open on Sundays so I could still get in when I felt better! Location (because Google Maps liiiied to me!): In the same strip mall as Prairie Path Cycle at the intersection of County Line and Geneva Roads. The staff, as always, is AMAZING, and the facility is homey. There are magazines, a little play/activity area for the kiddies, and TVs in view for donors. Snacks include Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, which is kind of a big deal. FYI: Naperville, Joliet, and DeKalb will soon be open every OTHER Sunday! Soo, if you can't get in to donate during the week, know you can donate on the weekends! Please, if you're eligible: give the gift of life-saving blood products!

I went there for my first time and gave them the drivers license and SS# which I really didn't want…read moreto do but the insisted. After filling out all the forms they informed me I was too old to be seen. They don't take anyone over 70. So I asked for my paperwork back but they refused to give it to me and were very rude about it. I should have been told before all the paperwork they don't take over 70 year olds! I really saw no reason why they needed my paperwork because they never saw me and I wanted my SS back!

I went there for the first time and first thing they ask for is my drivers license and ss# which I…read moredid not want to give but the insisted on it. then was given forms to fill out and a notebook to read. I was then taken into another room and started a video to watch. within a minute she says i cannot donate as I am over 70. I asked her why wasn't I told right away? first thing they had was my drivers license! then I asked for my paperwork back because they never saw me and I didn't want my SS# left there. right away she gets the manager who was VERY rude! told me it was now their property and would be against the law to give me back my paperwork. so I said okay let me just cross out my SS#. told me very rudely I could not do that. everyone from the front desk to the manager were very unprofessional and rude! I would not recommend anyone to go there! and by the way I may be over 70 but I am very healthy and a lot of what I saw come through the doors was questionable.