Baptist Health Paducah expects increase in first-time blood doners due to FDA change

PADUCAH, Ky. (KFVS) - Baptist Health Paducah is expecting more first-time donors at blood drives after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration lifted a deferral guidance that prevented people from donating.

In partnership with the Kentucky Blood Drive, Baptist Health Paducah is hosting its March blood drive next week. The blood drive will be a two day event held on Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16 at the Carson-Myre Heart Center in the Barnes Auditorium. On Wednesday, the drive will take place from 3-5:30 p.m., and on Thursday, it’ll take place from 7 a.m.-4 p.m. All donors will receive a KBC T-shirt while supplies last.

The FDA has recently lifted the variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease indefinite deferral guidance for blood donors who spent time in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland from 1980-2001. This also included those who received a blood transfusion in those countries from 1980 to the present.

This change means that many donors who were previously unable to donate at a blood bank, including Kentucky Blood Centers, may now be eligible to donate. Blood donations are used for patients going through surgical procedures, childbirth, anemia, cancer treatments and more.

To schedule a donation for March 15 or 16, visit Kentucky - Donor Portal (kybloodcenter.org). Before signing up, please ensure that you meet the requirement to give blood. The donor must be at least 16 years-old, weigh at least 110 pounds and must be in good health and feeling well.

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