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CATEGORIES:Community
DESCRIPTION:On December 6\, 2023 Bloodworks Northwest\, the local blood ban
 k of the Pacific Northwest and the primary blood supplier for all Legacy\, 
 Providence\, and PeaceHealth hospitals in our region\, is implementing the 
 U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new individual donor assessment guidanc
 e for all blood donors which eases the restrictions on donations for gay an
 d bisexual men.\n\nAll prospective donors will be asked the same risk-based
  questionnaire regardless\, including those about sexual behaviors and hist
 ory of pregnancy\, when signing up to give blood.\n\nThis change means that
  during donor screening\, the questionnaire will no longer ask “male-specif
 ic” or “female-specific” questions. Newly eligible donors under the new gui
 dance can begin booking appointments now for December 6\, 2023 and beyond.\
 n\nWe are kicking off this exciting new era of blood donation by hosting a 
 blood drive on campus at Reed College on December 7th (hosted by SEEDS).\n\
 nRegister now by visiting https://www.bloodworksnw.org/wp-content/uploads/2
 023/08/redirectgroup.html?s=049B or scanning the QR code in the attached po
 ster.\n \n\nSee below for a summary of the new criteria posted on the New E
 ra of Blood Donation: Bloodworks Northwest Blog Post:\n\nWhat is the new cr
 iteria?\n\nThe criteria will now focus on sexual contact proven to have a h
 igher risk of disease transmission rather than gender or orientation. All p
 otential donors will be asked whether\, in the three months prior to their 
 date of donation\, they have:\n\nHad sexual contact with a new partner. If 
 so\, they will be asked if they have had anal sex in the last three months.
 \n\nHad sexual contact with more than one partner. If so\, they will be ask
 ed if they have had anal sex in the last three months.\n\nAnyone who has ha
 d sexual contact with a new partner or more than one partner and who has ha
 d anal sex in the past three months is at increased risk for transmitting h
 uman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other infectious diseases and is defe
 rred for three months.\n\nCan people who take medication that prevent poten
 tial HIV infections donate?\nBased on current guidance from the FDA\, indiv
 iduals taking preventative HIV medications (such as PrEP or PEP) are still 
 deferred. Available data suggests that the use of PrEP or PEP may delay the
  detection of HIV in screening tests for blood donations\, potentially resu
 lting in false negative results in infected individuals. The risks must be 
 carefully evaluated and approved by the FDA before this deferral can be lif
 ted. Ensuring the safety for blood recipients remains challenging given the
  lack of sufficient data and the difficulty conducting ethical and effectiv
 e clinical studies in this area. We support ongoing studies assessing the i
 mpact of PrEP on donor testing.\n\nFor the most up-to-date information on m
 edication deferrals and other eligibility requirements\, please visit BLOOD
 WORKSNW.ORG/ELIGIBILITY or call 800-398-7888.\n\nHow can I participate if I
 ’m still deferred?\nIndividuals who are not eligible to donate to the commu
 nity blood supply may still be able to participate in lifesaving research t
 hrough Bloodworks’ RESEARCH DONOR PROGRAM. When you donate blood for resear
 ch\, you contribute to scientific knowledge that may help future patients a
 nd lead to new medical breakthroughs.\n\n\nBloodworks’ strong community of 
 LGBTQIA+ employees\, volunteers\, donors\, and supporters has long been a s
 ource of hope and change. We owe a special thanks to our LGBTQIA+ Employee 
 Resource Group for their leadership on this update.\n\nPlease contact SEEDS
  at seeds@reed.edu if you have any questions or inquiries.
DTEND:20231207T230000Z
DTSTAMP:20260315T234154Z
DTSTART:20231207T170000Z
GEO:45.481088;-122.632217
LOCATION:Quad\, A mobile van will be parked on the SW corner of the Quad by
  ODB and Anna Mann residence halls
SEQUENCE:0
SUMMARY:A New Era of Blood Donation Blood Drive by Bloodworks Northwest (ho
 sted by SEEDS)
UID:tag:localist.com\,2008:EventInstance_44891910609061
URL:https://events.reed.edu/event/a_new_era_of_blood_donation_blood_drive_b
 y_bloodworks_northwest_hosted_by_seeds
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