I have not met a place as professional and caring as the Stanford Blood Center when it comes to blood donations. In my early 20s, I had donated blood in the past through other organizations but was scarred from my past experiences. Recently, I donated blood for my friend's memorial drive through the Stanford Blood Center. After the 8 week waiting period, I decided to try my experience again but this time at the actual brick-and-mortar blood center location. The staff recognize your contributions, and they make sure to accommodate that every step of the way. I had an appointment for a whole blood donation, and the check-in process was very simple with the required questionnaire, vitals check, and short wait period. The area for donations is a very comfortable area with elevated plush chairs. It was cozy enough such that I could fall asleep in them! The phlebotomist was super professional at getting me situated before the needle poke and she really knew her way into identifying my vein. I've had struggles in the past where phlebotomists had a hard time finding it or moving the needle around in my arm to find my vein (part of the scarring from the past). Once the needle is in, the blood donation process takes about 7-10 mins on average. After the donation, you have the required 15 min waiting period. They bring you over to their canteen area, and a volunteer brings your choice of snacks and drinks. Their snack selection is plentiful, from your choice of fruit, chips, cookies, and a variety of drinks! Absolutely made the recovery process a lot more enjoyable, and you can get refills on snacks as well! They really treat their donors well, and my goal now is to keep donating my blood as often as possible to help save some lives! read more

See all

I just want to say, thanks so much too Janelle (whom I think might be the manager?) and Cynthia, the gal on the phone who coordinated with SBC to allow me to make a donation today, despite the fact that I couldn't get there until three o'clock. I drove all the way from Coalinga, to make a donation today, and I might be moving, so I didn't know if I would even be in the area a month from now. Somehow I managed to take a wrong turn on the 152, which had me running late. The first gal I talked to on the phone was surprisingly rude. I'm not going to say her name, but it began with a B. I told her I was running a little bit late for my 2:30 appt (which was supposed to be in Menlo Park), and she rudely told me that I had to get there by two thirty or else I would be locked out. I was like, whaaaat? I knew that was not correct because if you make an appointment, they say that if you keep the appointment and are not more than like ten or fifteen minutes late, you can actually get extra points for that in the donor loyalty store. Then, at some point I realized my g p s was actually directing me to the mountain view center and not Menlo Park. Luckily, I did not get that first lady on the phone again. Cynthia answered, and she was very sweet and said she would check with the people in mountain view and see if I could donate there instead. She came back on the line and said it would be okay as long as I could definitely make it there by three ( i want to emphasize that she definitely did say I had to be there by three and I guess it was my bad that I thought that meant it's ok to get there AT 3, not realizing it has to be BEFORE 3). I said yes no problem, i actually would have five minutes to spare. She then let the people at the Menlo Park center know i would be going to donate at a different location. Well when I got there, I have to be honest, I had two dogs in the car and felt like I needed to let them take a quick potty break because we had been in the car for almost three hours. Then, I had to scramble to figure out which door in the building was for the Stanford blood center. If I had known which one was the right door to go to, I probably would have made it in at 2:59. But I had to ask around, and didn't figure out which was the right door until 3:00 on the nose... and apparently by then it is too late. The door was closed. I had to knock on it and practically beg them to let me just do the donation, because honestly I don't know if i'm going to be able to come back again. The gal who answered the door had to go get Janelle to ask if they could make an exception. I was like please please just take me, i already filled out the precheck questionnaire, and it only takes me like four minutes for them to draw a pint of blood from my arm (drinking lots of water is the key). Luckily, Janelle agreed to take me. And she saw I wasn't kidding, I was done in 4:02. Janelle was super nice and we talked about her huskies, because I am fostering three, and she used to have one. Anyway, I am so glad to have been able to get this out of the way, and really appreciate everyone's patience today. I did a post on nextdoor asking people to please donate because this is a really critical time where blood is needed more than other times in the year. I always feel really good after I donate, so it's really a win win situation. Today was my fifty third donation, and the nice people who work for SBC are a big part of the reason I keep coming back. Happy new year everyone!!! read more

Well over a decade from when I started with Stanford Blood Center as well as almost a decade from my first double blood donation with Stanford, I decided to update my review! The place has undergone renovation many many years ago. They've also updated to a more technologically updated system. You can pre-screen a few questions online before going in (same day). Note that there is TRAFFIC when coming during school rush hours as there are schools nearby. This location is also right next to a hospital which can get busy. Plenty of parking in the designated lot though. I continue to do T5 DRBC (double red blood cell) donations, even though they did a platelet count and said I was eligible. In all my years I have never had an issue with donating blood with Stanford Blood Center. They have an (online) rewards program too. Their snacks and drinks remain fairly consistent. I highly recommend donating with Stanford Blood Center over some other places. Some other places are just so big there is also a history of really problematic issues - but not with SBC! During my time here, I've gotten some neat gifts, and all the workers have been very awesome and experienced. read more

Stanford Blood Center - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Mountain View, California

See all

Staff aren't friendly. They're more anti-social and just care about getting paid. Especially treating donors with O+ blood like peasants or pests as if we're nothing. read more

I've been donating here since early this year and they have very efficient and friendly staff. I've always felt safe while donating! Also, to make an appointment and parking is easy! Shout out to Judith A and Sherwin! read more

Stanford Blood Center - Donate blood, whenever you can :) - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Mountain View, California

I have donated blood and platelets at this location 21 times. Making an appointment is easy. Parking is never an issue, and there are always lots of snacks to choose from after your donation. Most of the staff are professional and quick to get you through the donation process. Outside of the immediate gratification of being charitable, I've appreciated the array of perks of being a blood donor. I especially appreciated the Monday rewards (movie tickets in the past), Peet's gift card, Amazon gift card, and "four seasons" shirts. Suggestions: I wish there was a way for SBC to keep a record of international travel for regular donors. I also hope that SBC can eventually recruit more donors, as donating blood is truly a remarkable experience that many eligible people unfortunately forgo. Will be back for sure! read more

After working from home and immersed with terrifying news cycle for more than two weeks, it just feels amazing to get out and join the line to help community by donating blood. We arrived at the mobile drive located in Almaden community at 9:45 am. The wait was longer due to the social distancing practices. The medical workers did an excellent job sanitizing everything you come in touch with. After rounds of check-up, they confirmed that it's safe for us to donate. It took me only five minutes to collect 475ml of blood (1 pint) that could be life-saving for someone else, which in itself is empowering. In the end, you get a pint of free ice cream and sense of accomplishment that you are doing something to help others! read more

Stanford Blood Center - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Mountain View, California

Five years going for me and this place still rocks. From the staff to their location. I've met regulars here from day one and like me they still like the place. The free cookies and juice and ice cream are still around and so are the sweet little old lady volunteers:) Parking is always easy and no fuss. Appointments are the best way to go if you don't want to wait. Either way -your donation day should be a light day for you. So when you come in choose a day when you're not in a rush. It's a better experience;) Signs of the terrible economy is affecting them too in a way? There used to be free movie tickets or breakfast coupon or t-shirts. I don't see them anymore. I don't mind but it's a nice incentive. Although on your first 500 gallon(total) you will get a gift and will be welcomed to the 500 gallon group . And you continue to earn points while donating and so you can shop for t-shirts and other stuff for free on their website! So it's not so bad and definitely worth the drive and the time you spare doing this. It's worth it's weight in gold! read more

Stanford Blood Center - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Mountain View, California

See all

Be a hero Lives need to be saved everyday! Offered some of my own Oh it's easy! Donate today!! I feel that people can make a difference even if it's just donating blood every two months! If you can donate, I highly recommend that you should, especially when the Stanford Blood Center has fun events going on during the weekends. Badri N. and I went yesterday for the Bach & Bite event!! It was fun!! Nice recital of classical music while enjoying scrumptious Mediterranean food from Whole Foods, freshly made crepes with fresh fruits and Nutella, and fresh squeezed orange juice!! YUM! And they were doing trivia questions with prizes to wineries!!! I wish I was more awake... haha I'm only giving them 4 stars because I had to wait over an hour. I think they weren't expecting so many people all at once. Definitely make an appointment and try to get there at least 30 minutes in advance, especially if it's during a big event!! But the staff were all very nice and helpful! I have to confess I was a bit nervous the night before! Just make sure you drink lots of water (8-10 glasses) the day before... and after your donation too!! I won't get into gory details about my blood being drawn. haha :P read more

I've donated blood for years with Stanford blood center but only at mobile drives. I was in the neighborhood recently and stopped in to donate blood. Process was straightforward and relatively painless ;). Nice clean facility, but I'm knocking off a star because SBC has decided to stop supporting a local cookie company to provide delicious freshly baked cookies and instead they're offering pre-packaged Grandmas cookies full of preservatives and chemicals. Very disappointing! (The package I tried had a "best by" date five months in the future - ew!). read more

Stanford Blood Center - Cute sign when checking in ;) - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Mountain View, California

They are well organized and kind to everyone. I've donated blood for many years and never had a bad experience. If you're interested go by and see them. read more

An amazing experience for my first time donation! Although it was difficult to find my vein, Ester did her best & made it comfortable for me. Very chipper and friendly staff! We were the last donors of the day on New Year's Eve, so they sent us home with the rest of their cookies! Awesome :D read more

Stanford Blood Center - An excess of cookies. They expire today, but heyyyy, we'll take em! - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Mountain View, California

See all

I donated blood for the first time this week and had such a great experience at this center! If you are eligible for donating blood, I highly, highly recommend you consider donating at this center, if not at another center convenient for you :) I was greeted as soon as I entered the blood center, and the check-in process was quick and seamless. Upon checking in, I was given a sticker that says "first-time donor" on it, as well as a free sub coupon and a key chain, which I thought was a nice touch. After filling out a health questionnaire on a computer, I was led into a room where Svetlana (I hope I spelled her name right!), a blood bank technician, reviewed my health history with me and checked my hemoglobin count. She was very good about explaining the process and made sure to ask me if I had any questions. She seemed very experienced and knowledgable, and I definitely felt very comfortable with her! The donation chairs are large and very comfortable, and Svetlana went out of her way to ensure I was comfortable, giving me a blanket and a cup of water for the donation process. The actual donation process was pretty quick - I think Svetlana told me it was about 6 minutes. Afterwards, I went to the canteen where I was offered juice and snacks. They had pretzels, carrots, apples, string cheese, trail mix and cookies from Pacific Cookie Company. When I left the blood center, the girl at the front desk said bye to me, greeting me by my name. Overall, I felt that all the staff members I encountered at this center made an effort to make me feel appreciated for coming in to donate and made sure I was comfortable throughout the entire process. I would definitely come again in the future to donate blood! read more

They have gone *way* downhill lately. Today's donation experience: left holding up my own arm for 5 min after the needle was removed, while the technician filed paperwork. Loud, jarring rap music playing in the background. And... the fresh cookies are now gone! After over two decades of donating, I've never seen a worse spread in the canteen of vending-machine packaged cookies, packaged pretzels, and sun chips. They used to have fresh cookies and fruit available, as recently as 2 months ago (my last donation). And worse of all... the vending-machine cookies they were serving donors were past their expiration date. I took a photo, which I will post. This is no way to treat volunteer donors. After 20+ years of donating, I will give them one more chance in 4-6 months, then I'm done if there is no improvement. read more

Stanford Blood Center - Note that the box of vending-machine cookies in the post-donation canteen is expired -- says 10/17 if you zoom in, date of photo is 10/20/15 - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Mountain View, California

Sadly the Hillview center closed. I loved looking at the ceiling; it reminded me of Gaudi's apartments. Oh well, this facility is very utilitarian without the fancy ceiling but a lot of the same staff are here and apparently regularly rotate between locations. This location also had Krispy Kreme donuts the day I came but those are NOT good for my belly fat. A quick stick and drain and I was done and eating some apple slices and refilling with water. I will be back in 8 weeks. read more

Can't wait to donate A old friend From years ago Had medical treatment And they would order ahead for Her. One treatment Round she did use 15 pints Do you have drives in the Bay Area Ever ? I'm in the hayward Castro valley atea read more

Friendly warm inviting staff. Quick service. The phlebotomists have a soft touch. Volunteers are always friendly. Making appointments is easy. read more

Today Mary Jane and Sitleva (charge nurse) helped with my blood draw. It was so much fun chatting with both of them. The environment is so warm and friendly. :) read more

I've been donating with SBC ever since my Junior year of high school when they brought over the Mobile unit to the gymnasium, so about 4 years. I have always enjoyed their high level of service and friendly RN's and phlebotomy techs. Plus the canteen snacks are bomb. Free food? Yes please. (I can see you judging me already haha) I am currently a senior year nursing student (if that means anything, lol), so I am quite familiar with how this operation runs and the rationale behind most procedures. Most importantly, in comparison to your common layperson, I am better able to discern whether or not proper procedure is being followed. Thankfully, I can honestly say that the staff here at SBC Mountain View earns my stamp of approval! Safety is their top priority. The 17 Gauge hypodermic needles used here are large suckers, and starting peripherally-inserted intravenous needles on other people has always been and will always be challenging no matter what! You think 17g is big? Try starting bilateral 14's! I completed a clinical rotation on an oncology floor during my nursing school career and it was one of the best experiences in my life because I learned a facet of nursing that textbooks could never teach me. Furthermore, that experience reaffirmed by passion of donating the "gift of life". Because it truly is. Whole blood, plasma, and platelets costs me very little, but meant the world to my patients. I was fortunate enough to have been able to bear witness to the fruits all of us donors' efforts in action. I only hope one day that the FDA and SBC will send notifications to blood donors when our blood products and components are utilized for patient care! If you are eligible to donate, please do. Stop by SBC and they will gladly walk you through. read more

Fills so good to give blood and to know that you've made a difference in this world. Place is clean and Friendly staff. read more

Stanford Blood Center - Checking in ready to give some blood - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Mountain View, California

Friendly staff and good promotions. I always come here to donate blood if I don't find a blood drive near by. If you're a regular donor, the system is super easy because you're already in the computer. They have good nurses and aids who are always asking if you need some water or a blanket or anything else to make you comfortable. They also have good promotions that rotate, so be sure to ask! I really like the snacks they have in the canteen area. There are always lots of pretzels and a variety of cookies to choose from. And lots of beverage choices as well from coffee to tea to various juices. Watch for the lunch time promotions that they have on some weekdays. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are recommended because they do get busy sometimes. read more

I was ruled ineligible to donate blood after showing up at the office. The eligibility requirements on the web page do NOT list the reason I was disqualified (no 3 year period in which I didn't visit India.) The only requirement that is listed is that one year should pass after visiting a "malaria-endemic" region. I'm discouraged enough to never ever donate now. It's not SBC's fault that FDA regulations are obtuse. But it is SBC's fault that these requirements were not told to me before I show up there in person. read more

I love these people. They are talented and caring and I always feel special. They are very organized and efficient. I always feel I get a quality employee working to make sure I am well. I will continue to visit here. The process is that you walk in or come in for appointment. Then you fill out a questionnaire. Then you have a private medical review where the take your pulse, blood pressure, hemoglobin, and temp. After this, you give blood and then rest in the canteen. Plan for at least 45-60 minutes. read more

Stanford Blood Center - Blood & Plasma Donation Centers Near Me - Mountain View, California

I made an appointment, answered the online pre-appointment quiz, printed out the QR code, and showed up ten minutes early before my appointment. When I got there it wasn't busy or anything: there was only one couple ahead of me ... and yet they still weren't ready for me *twenty minutes* after my appointment supposedly started :( For a business that relies on people showing up and donating their time and (literally) blood, it just felt incredibly disrespectful. read more

This is the poshest nicest place anyone has ever jabbed needles into me. (Also the most skilled needle stick everrrrrrrr; I barely felt a thing.) This facility is just clean and nice and everything goes quickly. Well-staffed enough that there were folks around to check on me. Good cookies. I'll be back! read more

Good: - Clean, neat, new-looking facilities. - Efficient processing at the front-desk, with pretty much no wait. I did make an appointment online a couple weeks beforehand. - Very nice ladies running the donation area. Only issue... they couldn't find a good vein. I guess i have small veins, so they had to use a smaller needle. They started on my right arm, poked me, adjusted, and... ended up with a clot. They were more successful on the left arm. But the end result was that, I ended up being at the center for close to two hours, and I left with a massive bruise and a long scratch (instead of a needle prick) in my left arm. I guess it happens, but I hope it doesn't happen again to me! I still recommend this center. Tip: Third Tuesdays are free Togo sandwiches day. They said it's for a limited time only, but if you're going to go.... you may as well get a free lunch out of it as well! (Juices, cookies, and bagels available every day.) read more

I donated blood for the very first time a few weeks ago at a Stanford Blood Center truck during the SF Aloha Festival. The staff members were very pleasant and courteous, although one guy pretty much insisted that I undergo the double platelet donation. If you've never donated before, there is really nothing to fear. I kicked back and watched a medieval times Heath Ledger movie. Midway through, I realized that my shorts were completely unbuttoned but couldn't do anything about it since I had a needle in my arm. Damn button up cargo shorts. No wonder they gave me three free t-shirts and double the snacks. They got a free show. read more

It's my friend time came to Mountain View Stanford's blood center. When I first walked in, I was checked-in quickly by the front desk. The member working at the front desk, she was super friendly and helpful in as many way as you can pleased. As I checked-in, I went through the standard procedures for answering all the questions and read the educational material. Then I was quickly transfer to a small room for further questions and testing my iron level. As the blood donation proceed, I actually didn't felt any pain this time and I was quite surprised. May be because the I was having so much fun talking to the staff member and she was quite skilled? That's why I didn't feel any pain. The donation process from checked-in to finish donating took me like 20 mins? Which is not bad at all in my opinion. The only thing I didn't like was when they removed the needle, they accidentally left a small cut on my arm area, like the needle's head was quickly slice out and accidentally went through the surface of my skin. Otherwise, my experience at this facility was quite pleasant! If you are around and you can donate blood. I would recommend this facility, because they staffs are all so fun to talk to! read more

This one is a lot better than the one on the actual campus. I tried donating at the PA location and they refused to take my blood, saying I was too close to the lower weight range. I told them repeatedly that I had donated before in Davis and that I've never had a problem with fainting or anything else but they still didn't want it. I was a bit appalled. I mean, don't you *want* my blood?! Aren't you the one asking for donations? Here I am, freely giving it to you with both veins stretched out and you won't even stick a needle in it... Argh, enough about that. More on the MV location: You can now make your appointments with Stanford online! I did it a couple months ago but overslept and missed my appointment. However, I still went and they didn't even mention that I was 3 hours late to my appointment. The equipment there is very current. They used to test your iron through a weird solute but now they just run it through a machine to make sure you have enough. I'm a bit sad about it as I used to look forward to seeing my blood drop go down in a timely fashion. Can't wait to go again in April! Cheers, Stanford Blood Centre! read more

I used to be a consistent donor from 2006-2015. I had to sever ties with Stanford as I had two occasions of being painfully poked by incompetent nurses. The first occasion probably occurred in 2012, the director apologized and guaranteed it would never happen again. Low and behold it happened again in 2015 and the pain of the needle hitting my bone was unbearable. The nurse was unapologetic and the entire staff played it off like it's not big deal. That's when I knew my blood and service isn't important here. Oh wait, blood is important to them, but TLC isn't. So be wary of trusting this fake org, use you and abuse you like a blood sucking (pun intended) ex-gf. read more

I've only donated here once so far (I was barred from donating due to working in Iraq/Afghanistan for a while), and it was a pretty good visit, but not perfect. The facility, staff, etc. are excellent -- it's comfortable, and I especially appreciate all the thought which went into making it easy and anonymous for people to disclose health conditions which barred donation. My only problem is that they get very busy on some days (Friday afternoons are said to be the worst, which is when I went); they were at least 30-45 minutes behind schedule when I had an appointment. I'll go back in 2 months, but I will go earlier in the week. read more

I come back here for the people. The staff is just so wonderful and friendly. I'm not at all afraid of needles and giving blood, but they are understanding of those who are. I very much appreciate one nurse who caught my shellfish/iodine allergy! No one else had, nor had anyone else even asked if I was allergic to shrimp, which I am. So now they disinfect my arm another way. And I come back for the POG juice afterward, too... just saying; it's delicious. And cookies. read more

I haven't come to this location but would like to give an excellent review for their website. They have the individual health account for each donor ID. There is the wellness check to keep track of your health conditions when they tested the blood. From here, I can get the history of my cholesterol level over the years. I think this is the best benefit for me since I can continue to monitor my health. I've been donating blood with their mobile unit at work for the last couple years. I had reached the 8 times donor with them and looking forward to get to the next goal. read more

I'm closing in on 75 donations, and I couldn't be happier to be a Stanford Blood Center donor. I'm treated like royalty there, especially as I switched from a "four seasons" whole-blood donor, dropping in maybe 5 or 6 times a year, to a platelet donor, in the chair almost every other week. I'm doubly blessed because my wife is also a volunteer, so my relationship with the wonderful staff is deepened by her work with them. I will probably hit 100 donations in early 2016, and it's a sure bet I'll keep on donating until I can't any more. read more

I started donating blood about 10 years ago when a mobile unit had a blood drive at work. I continued donating at the Palo Alto location but for the past few years I've been going to this location in Mountain View because it's closer to my home. With the remodel, everything is bright cheerful, and clean. The staff is always friendly and attentive. I always make an appointment so rarely is there a long wait time...but sometimes there is but that's not so bad. That means that more people are donating, hopefully. The occasional freebies are a plus and I think there are even more at the Palo Alto location. My only complaint in the 10 years that I've been going to the Stanford Blood Centers is that they changed cookie vendors. Ha ha. I really liked the chocolate chip cookies that they used to serve. Did you know that only three percent of eligible donors in the Bay Area give blood? Give now. It really doesn't hurt and you get cookies and juice afterward! read more

Giving blood is such an easy way to help others. Friends, if you have your health, I urge you to donate the gift of life to someone who could really use it! Stanford blood center staff is very kind and professional. The great cookies, juice, and coffee after donation doesn't hurt either ;) read more

I have been donating blood with Sanford Blood Center Mountain View 7 times. I went there 8th time today. I concluded that Giving blood is a good thing but giving blood to Stanford at Mountain View Blood Center is risking your life. The blood technician (they do not use RN to do the actual procedure any more) put her gloves on and then started to look for things like tapes and bandage, adjust the blood machine, pump air to put pressure on my arm and move my chair (the gloves are severally contaminated). Once having marked a selected vessel several times, she sterilized the arm area to be punched. Because of too many marks, she started to use her contaminated gloved fingers to feel the vessel (contaminating the sterilized area) and finally used a thick needle to punch into my arm. Nothing came out. She started to move the needle around in my arm, causing great pain to me. Finally, she had to call help. A skilled one came and moved the needle around to cut into the vessel in my arm, the blood started to come out. At the volume of 435, the blood flow became slow, she used her contaminated gloved fingers to feel the needle around the punched hole, my blood started to come out from the punched hole (not through the needle). She called for help again. A male came to feel the same place with his naked fingers to make the needle move around in my arm. I had no idea what he has touched with his fingers (he could just have finished eating). My punched hole was completely exposed to the bacteria they brought in. Fearing the bacteria or infection that could reach my heart, I had to ask them to stop the blood drawing immediately. Now, I am blessing the God to help me not to be infected with their non-professional acts. My other blood donors said they would never go to this place after hearing my story today. read more

Hi everyone; I have donated since1979. The last time I went I was insulted by a person who interrupted me when I was filling out the usual forms .I brought this to the attention to the person who takes your vital stats since I felt it was Totally inappropriate and has Never happened before. I have sent docs to the Blood Center Director but no response. Does anyone know what avenue I can take to get a resolution so I can do what I want to do; Help other people. I really would like some input. read more

Very nice people and all the cookies you can eat. I wish I had more than 8 pints in me to give out. Thanks for recommendation Janet.

Great facility located next to El Camino Hospital. I like this location simply because it's closer for me than to going to Hillview, but the staff here are just as friendly. Also, the hours here are a generally more after-work friendly. I'd recommend it as a simple (and mostly painless) way to help people - you never know, your donation could help save some lives. =) read more