Platelet Donor Program

Help Save A Life…Donate Platelets!

The UNC Hospitals Platelet Donor Program is seeking help from both those who have given platelets and whole blood in the past and first-time donors. Platelets are one of the four components of your blood and work to help the blood clot (your bodies “internal band-aid”). 

Why do we need platelets?

• Platelet donation is essential in saving the lives of many of our patients at UNC Hospitals. Patients undergoing cancer and leukemia treatment, transplant surgery, open-heart surgery, and those with life threatening blood disorders need high-quality platelets to support them through their critical phase of treatment.
• More than 10 platelet donors are needed daily to meet the transfusion usage of UNC Hospitals. 
• Life-sustaining transfusions of platelets often allow time for intensive therapy to work, for the disease to be suppressed, and for the body to heal.
• The need for a reliable supply of high quality, laboratory-tested blood products, donated by volunteer donors, becomes more critical as patient usage increases.
• Platelets have a shelf-life of no more than seven days, so the supply of platelets must be replaced constantly to avoid shortages. This is especially true during the summer months when we see an increase in platelet usage.

How do I give platelets?

• Call (919) 966-2370 or send e-mail to platelet@unch.unc.edu to make an appointment.
• You must be 17 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds.
• UNC Hospitals Platelet Donor Program’s Hours:
  

  Monday	7:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
  Tuesday	8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
  Wednesday	8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
  Thursday	9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
  Friday	8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
  Saturday	9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. (only open Sat. on holiday weekends)
  	The evening time listed is when the last donor is taken.

• Directions to the Platelet Donor Program can be found here.

Donating platelets is a 2-hour procedure that is very safe and closely monitored by highly trained medical professionals. There is no risk of contracting a disease.