Absolutely awful experience!! They left the tourniquet on…read moremy child's arm for the entire donation, and then argued with me when I told him if that was not appropriate. Two weeks later, my daughters arm is still black and blue and swollen and when I called, they continue to stand by the fact that you do leave the tourniquet on the entire time of the donation. My child has numbness in her hand now, and the vein is blown out, proceed with caution if you go here. Absolutely inexcusable!

I'm not going to say that I enjoy my visits here, because I don't enjoy the process, but it's not…read moreall bad. The staff here is friendly and gets the job done quickly and efficiently. I've donated at the Blood Center and at a few different off site locations. My latest donation was at Lakeside Mall. I happened to be there and the giveaways were pretty cool. A Tricentennial TShirt?! I'll take it! A box of Russell Stover's chocolates?!? Yep, that's me! The brick and mortar location is sort of dingy looking, but it's clean. There are drinks and snacks for you after you donate. Take advantage and have some to ward off any lightheadedness. The phlebotomists here know what they're doing, so follow their instructions if you're a first time donor. They won't steer you wrong. I feel like I'm giving back when I make my donation and always hope that if i, or my family is in the situation to need blood that it will be available. Bravo to these folks for doing what they do and helping out the community.

Looking to make an extra $200 a month and have lots of free time? Come on down to Octapharma and…read moresell...err....DONATE your plasma. I just finished my first plasma donation. Here's how it went: The first donation was said to take 2 hours. I sat down in the waiting room with several forms of ID and a piece of mail to as proof of residency. After a short wait, I was called back to answer questions about my medical history (Have you had sex with anybody from a variety of Central African nations?). Then they took my vitals, drew a tiny bit of blood, and made sure I had adequate levels of iron & antibodies. My pulse barely made the cut (100 bpm) because I was pretty apprehensive. Then came more waiting. Next was the least comprehensive physical I have ever received. No doctor was involved, just two medical techs. No urinalysis, no dropping trou. I didn't even have to take my shirt off. They did examine my limbs at great length for "wounds," which is med tech for drug injection sites. I was told to arrive having eaten a hearty meal, so I ate at 10:30 AM and got there by 11:30. At this point, it was 2:30 PM, so they made me leave and return with a full stomach. After a quick BBQ break at Corkys (gross... review forthcoming), it was donation time. Before I was taken to the group donation room, they told me that cell phones interfere with the plasmapheresis process. Some shit about how it affects the anticoagulant. They threw out some big sciencey words and expected me to agree. Instead, I laughed out loud and asked if they were serious. There is absolutely no way that cell phones affect the machines. I have to assume they do this for the same reason that airlines try to convince you that phones will cause the plane to crash: people yakking on their phones in close quarters is annoying. In the donation room, there were signs that claimed a phone even in airplane mode would cause interference, but laptops, iPods, and radios were OK. Needless to say I used my iPhone the entire time without issue. The actual donation process took 45 minutes. And while the needle is pretty darn big, the most painful part was removing the paper tape from my hairy arms after the donation was over. Overall, I feel a little dehydrated, but not any more than after a day at Jazzfest. The whole first visit experience took four hours, but future donations only take about 90 minutes. If you were going to be sitting on your ass anyway, you might as well get paid to do it and save some lives at the same time. FDA regulations limit donations to twice a week & Octapharma pays $20 for the first visit and $30 for the second visit in a given week. That's $200 a month for 12 hours of "work." Not a bad deal at all.

Awful business. I moved from Little Rock, AR to Mandeville, La. I was told by an Octapharma…read moreemployee that Mandeville was in their area and I would be able to keep donating at this location. My files were transferred from LR to this location. The very first time I went to donate, I brought my lease as proof of residence. The lady accepted my lease and put my info into the computer but I was told I needed my Social Security Card as well. I returned 3 days later with my card, but was told I wasn't allowed to donate because my address was "restricted". Nobody would explain to me what this means. I live in an apartment complex in Mandeville. Nobody would offer me an explanation as to why I couldn't donate because of my address even though it was in their area. I attempted to contact Octapharma at the number listed on their website and I have left 8 messages. 8. Not a single call has been returned. The staff at this location are also EXTREMELY rude and unbelievably slow helping anyone. The very first time I went to transfer my info I literally waited for over an hour and a half sitting in their "waiting area" to be helped.

I was hospitalized the first week of October. I had to be intubated and the rapid response team,…read moreand the nurses that took care of me after I was brought down from ICU, were amazing! They were attentive, helpful, pleasant and accommodated me in every way that they could each nurse was very kind. And if I ask something, I did not have to wait an hour they were on it. So I just want to thank them for a job well done and for taking care of me as if I was their own family. Thank you ladies.

Went to ER. Had a chair in the hallway because there were 45 people that day in ER. Nothing was…read morehandled privately. I heard everyone's medical information as they heard mine. The attending staff was great, but I'd rather just die then deal with anything Oschner again. I then get a hospital bill - huge bill followed by the Kenner emergency group LLC Doctor bill. The huge bill is a facility use - the equipment there is not my responsibility. If Oschner wants to keep building buildings and buying more equipment that's on them. The Kenner emergency group bill was for the attending doctor. $2400 for me to sit in a hallway and wait for some test results. The whole place is horrible - and the one bathroom for everyone in the ER was vile.

If u need a quick $100 in less than 3 hrs!…read more Very easy & helpful ! Plus you can go twice a week!

While service is still great, they have slowed down a bit with this new staff. I find myself…read morewaiting a bit longer than usual now and don't get caught up with new donors! Extra wait.

Tried to donate platelets but waited almost two hours after my appointment time before I finally…read morejust became a Karen and left. Absolutely pathetic customer service and could care less about my time or the lady who also waited with me who was too nice to complain.

Ochsner Blood Center Jefferson Hwy Location Great…read moreprofessionals, friendly, efficient, and accommodating Relaxing, comfortable environment

I have never got in and out in under 3 hours usually take 3 to 4 hours . Once I was here 5 hours …read more They close without any notifications. I drive 40 miles to donate only to find the door locked after calling before I leave the house. The line is always 5 miles long with one person checking in new donors and returning donors. I have fallen below my $60 donation because I am I am unable to donate as frequently because of them closing early or opening late. So therefore I am driving 40 miles for $40 dollars . Just crazy

I've been a donor over 20 years. The bad comments I have read is unbelievable to me, everyone have…read moretheir own opinions. every staff I encounter through the years with, has always been very nice and friendly, yes the line can be a long wait, if you have no patience it's best not to try to donate, to keep your protein up you have to eat high protein the day before you donate and drink plenty water.

This seemed to be the most appropriate place to write my review since I visited a blood mobile and…read morenot an actual blood donation location. The Blood Center did a blood drive at my apartment complex and I decided to sign up since it was super convenient. On the day of, I completed the pre-donation questions online and took a QR code to speed up the check in process. I selected the first appointment because I wanted to minimize any possible exposure to Covid 19. I arrived at 12:57pm for a 1pm appointment. They weren't ready for me so I hung around outside. When I finally entered the blood mobile (about 20 minutes later), it was tiny and it took them forever to check me in because the computer was so slow. After check-in, I was led to a tiny room (maybe 3 feet by 3 feet) to meet with one of the staff. I was uncomfortable because it's impossible to socially distance in a room that tiny. The computer in that room was slow too and I was in there approximately 20 minutes. The blood donation process was fairly efficient. When I finished, I was asked to sit at the front for 5-10 minutes to ensure there were no adverse reactions. I get it, but that was not desirable due to Covid. The lady tried to force me to eat a snack and drink some juice while waiting. I had to keep telling her no because I didn't want to take my mask off in that tiny space. Overall, The Blood Center needs to work on improving their Covid practices and upgrading their old and slow computer equipment. Some bonuses of giving blood here include getting your cholesterol level and also finding out whether you have Covid antibodies. I also got a cool Christmas themed t-shirt. I enjoy giving blood, but am not sure I'd donate here again.

Do NOT go here!! Waste of time!! Does not allow you to give blood and it's called the Blood Center…read more STUPID!!

I try to donate regularly and this location makes it easy. They're located on Lakeshore Drive among…read moreUNO's buildings, and are easy to find. There's lots of available parking too. The staff is professional, friendly, and makes the visits pleasant. The swag is always a plus, and if you donate prior to 8/3/19, you will he entered into a drawing for a trip to Disney!

Great customer service, speedy check in , clean and fragrant atmosphere, and donation pay is…read moredecent !

I got as far as the office staff, who were as knowledgeable as they can be seeing as their…read morecorporate offices aren't providing them with all the information they need to be even more effective at their jobs. Very helpful and knowledgeable. Even when it was realized that the New Donor website wasn't working, I was able to reschedule for the next day.

Sit on down for a good cause. The Blood Center is just what you would expect, a place that takes…read moreyour blood, plasma, or platelets for people in need. If that is not enough to get you in, there also give you free cholesterol screenings, blood pressure tests, and t-shirts.