<p>FDA has made donor deferral changes that impact hundreds of thousands of individuals who were previously unable to donate blood. There is an immediate need for federal funding that can be used locally by blood centers to amplify their education and awareness efforts to welcome back impacted donors, ensuring current and future patient needs are met.</p>

Ask Congress to Support Funding to Promote Awareness of New Eligibility Criteria for Blood Donors

Help blood centers nationwide communicate the reality of these changes to as many newly eligible donors as possible across their local community

FDA has made donor deferral changes that impact hundreds of thousands of individuals who were previously unable to donate blood. There is an immediate need for federal funding that can be used locally by blood centers to amplify their education and awareness efforts to welcome back impacted donors, ensuring current and future patient needs are met.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently made a series of science-based changes to blood donor eligibility that will make it possible for more people nationwide to safely give blood, including many veterans and those in the LGBTQ community. I am writing to urge you to support an appropriation to provide targeted federal funding for blood centers nationwide to communicate the reality of these changes to as many newly eligible donors as possible across their local community. This will help amplify community-based education and awareness efforts already underway while helping address the ongoing strain to our nation’s blood supply. 

U.S. blood centers are regulated by the FDA and must adhere to their donor eligibility policies. These policies change as new scientific knowledge, data, and technology become available. Recently, FDA made donor eligibility changes that impact hundreds of thousands of individuals who were previously unable to donate blood. These changes include the removal of the indefinite deferral for geographic risk of potential exposure to Mad Cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), and a guidance that establishes blood donor screening based on individual donor assessments, not sexual orientation.

When FDA changes to donor eligibility occur, blood centers must undertake extensive changes, including updating their computer systems and donor history questionnaires. Some of these changes require additional FDA approval and FDA required validations. As a result, it takes time for blood centers to start welcoming donors impacted by any change. However, the hard work of educating the public, especially impacted potential donors, must begin immediately to ensure the public understands the changes and the continued safety of the blood supply.

While blood centers are already working with many community organizations to promote awareness of the new eligibility criteria, these efforts will require additional targeted funding to ensure targeted messaging appropriate to the local community that will provide robust public awareness. 

Federal funding directed locally has generated significant results in the recruitment of first-time and repeat blood donors, as evidenced by funding provided by an Other Transaction Authority managed by America’s Blood Centers, that resulted in a 244% increase in COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma collections during a 20-week period after the funds were distributed to 37 not-for-profit blood centers. This funding allowed for targeted messaging that was delivered effectively to the appropriate communities.
A similar approach will increase the impact of communicating these recent FDA eligibility changes. 

Despite the importance and consistent need for blood, only three percent of Americans donate blood each year. This percentage continues to decline, with the most acute declines occurring in younger generations. In fact, the percentage of younger donors who donated blood – those between the ages of 16 and 24 years old – decreased by double digits from 2017 to 2019 alone, even before the COVID pandemic hit. 

To reach as many impacted donors as possible, I am asking you to support a targeted appropriation for local messaging about changes to donor eligibility to amplify blood center education and awareness efforts.

Thank you for your focus on this matter and for making strengthening America’s blood supply a national priority.

Ask Congress to Support Funding to Promote Awareness of New Eligibility Criteria for Blood Donors

Help blood centers nationwide communicate the reality of these changes to as many newly eligible donors as possible across their local community

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Dear Office Holder (names will be automatically added on each email),