This review goes out to all the first timers out there ! It took me 27 years but I finally donated…read moresome of that Megan juice aka blood . I myself had no idea where to start or how to go about donating , so I hope this review will be seen and help some of you . First things first . Make an account online through the blood center of Wisconsin . You'll see a line for a Donor ID # but don't worry you don't need it . They'll give you that information after you donate . Once you've made an account click the tab that says schedule appointment . Next click whole blood donation and then in the notes mention it's your first time . Upon your appointment you'll walk in ,sign in and someone will grab you . They take you to a private room to do some paperwork and run some tests ( blood pressure , temperature , etc). Then they will take you out to the main floor for the donating . They have comfy chairs for you to sit in and have two large tvs for you to watch . The actual donating of the blood takes like 10/20 minutes. It's fast and doesn't hurt at all . The people stay with you the whole time and make sure your feeling okay . After your done they have you go to a side area ( cafe type ) where you refill your sugar with snacks ( chips , coda and fresh cookies ). Before you continue onto my next part of the review I want you to read it all the way till the end . It's not meant to scare you but inform you! After I was done donating I was about to get up to go to the cafe room when I started to feel dizzy, broke out in bad sweats and started shaking . The feeling increased and I just about passed out . The staff all around me was super quick to come and make me feel better . They laid me all the way down , put cold fabric on me , fanned me and asked me questions to see how to make me feel better . It started to pass after five minutes and they gave me a coke . They had me lay for another ten min and I was practically back to perfect ! They said it happens sometimes and this is where I remind you to not make the same mistake as I did . Eat a meal CLOSE to when your donating or a snack . I had eaten breakfast at around 10:15 and donated at about 1:20. To big of a gap I think or maybe that's just my body's reaction lol just remember to eat and drink water close to your blood donating time . After my "incident " I went over to the cafe , filled up on some sugar and I was out the door .( I had my boyfriend drive since he donated with zero reaction . They suggest not driving if you feel any symptoms after which happens but is rare ). My whole experience from start to end was fantastic . It was very professional and everyone was super nice . Everyone is super educated and during my symptoms of passing out they stayed calm and knew exactly what to do . My boyfriend was in the cafe and didn't even realize something was wrong until someone came and told him lol and I want to emphasize again not everyone has a reaction to donating ... sometimes people just have them and sometimes they won't react again for another couple years . It's just something that can happen but more than not it never does. They take walk-ins and appointments for donations . They test your blood for tons of things and if something is wrong they will mail you what it is and who to see about it . You can also check things through your online account like previous visits , blood type etc. Can't wait to help out others and donate again !

Everyone should donate blood, but almost nobody does…read more Why? Are you that selfish? Are you that busy? Or are you, like everyone else, afraid of needles? The Blood Center of Wisconsin is a great resource for humanity. You don't know how many people need blood every day until yourself or someone you know is sick and needs it. It can't be made artificially or gotten from animals. The only source is you. You need to donate blood and the Blood Center of Wisconsin is one of the best places ever to donate. There are places in town that will pay you for plasma but none of these places use the plasma collected for medical purposes. I believe to do so would be in violation of some well-meaning but asinine law. At any case, it isn't done. You know what else these shady establishments won't do? Give you a DVD player and a selection of movies. Give you State Fair tickets. Give you Brewers tickets. Give you cream puffs and snacks and juices and coffee and pop. They won't sign you up for a rewards program and shower you with free gifts after a certain number of donations. They won't give you heated blankets or comfy pillows or headphones or anything else you need to be comfortable. The Blood Center gives you ALL of these things and way more. Yes, it hurts for a minute. If you donate a unit of whole blood you'll be out of there lickity-split. You can also choose to donate higher-need items like platelets or plasma or granulocytes or other things, but this is always your choice. I understand completely if you're terrified to go and just can't do it. Some people can't. My girlfriend, for instance. But if you can, you should. And if you do, go to the Blood Center. It'll be painless. (almost)

Just want to thank Earl , he made me very comfortable when I first started months ago ! Very…read morepatient and fast poke I didn't feel it either time if he decides to stop coming or working here I won't be back AT ALL THANKS BUDDY

Best plasma center I've been to by far. Earl was quick and efficient and made donating painless…read more will 100% be back

Wonderful donation center. Knowledgeable skilled staff who care about the donors experience.read more

I am thankful to have this place to help me financially. I wish the corporate muckity mucks would…read moretreat the employees who work there better so there wouldn't be such staff turnover. They put up with working weekends, very long shifts with no breaks and deal with very difficult customers. They should be paid more money and treated better by corporate. Employees easily can go elsewhere and make more money. 5 stars for the employees and 1 star for the management who treat the people who work there like they do.

Each time you donate saves 3 lives! That is a great reason to get out alone…read more This place just got a facelift a couple of months ago - adding more rooms, a big screen TV, and making it overall a little less sterile of an environment and more inviting. This is my main BloodCenter I go to since it is close to work yet it is nothing compared to the headquarters off of Wisconsin. The staff is always really friendly no matter the day, make you laugh, and make you comfortable with the whole process. I highly suggest giving it a try.

I've gone to the downtown location for the past few years, but this is my new donor center after…read morehaving recently moved. It's a fairly small operation, but they do a very good job with scheduling so it is not crowded, and I've almost always been taken care of immediately and quickly. The staff is very friendly and thankful toward its donors. I'm there as often as I can be, every 8 weeks.

I have been a regular donor at this location. I have recommended others to this location but this…read moreyear the quality has gone down to a point that I will no longer donate. In January, in response to a desperate need request, I went to a mobile drive at Mayfair, the coordinator said to come in anytime before 1:00. When I got there, they wouldn't take me. Thinking mobile drives were the problem, I went today to the Blood Center of Wauwatosa, again in response to a desperate need request. I checked in early with an appointment and was not advised they were running behind at all. After an hour and a half, a very disgruntled person said how awful this is, how she is going to quit along with so many others. I should have left. Once in the chair, the donor next to me was being assisted by a supervisor as the phlebotomist wasn't able to draw blood. Then she came to draw my blood. I expressed concern but she assured me she was experienced. She poked me several times, causing extreme pain until the supervisor came to save me. I do believe something has happened since Versiti took over for a long time donor to say no more.

From the owner: In the interconnected world of science and medicine, research is critical. Versiti's research spans…read morebasic, translational and clinical research that focuses on blood disorders. Our research discoveries make tangible contributions to the care of patients. Basic research is housed at the Blood Research Institute (BRI), a state-of-the-art facility that gives investigators access to cutting-edge research equipment and related specialized services. The BRI is located on the campus of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, along with the Medical College of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

they are very professional and they always come with energy making donors like myself feel at…read morehome!!!

I've donated plasma at several different facilities in the Milwaukee area, so I feel like I have a…read moregood point of comparison. I donated at this CSL Plasma location eight times, which I think is enough visits to get a real sense of how the experience is on a typical day. First, I'll say that the staff hooking me up to the machine generally did their job correctly and I didn't personally have any issues with the actual donation process. However, almost every other part of the experience was consistently frustrating. Expect long waits. There is usually a long wait for the initial screening and then another long wait before getting a bed in the donation room. During these waiting periods the environment can be extremely loud and chaotic. Patients frequently yell across the room, argue with staff about wait times, or loudly talk throughout the waiting area. When beds open up, staff typically don't come get you directly. Instead they yell "NEXT" repeatedly from across the donation floor. If you're not paying attention or can't hear them, you may miss your turn. It makes the process feel disorganized and stressful. Once you get into the donation room, the environment doesn't improve much. The machines themselves are very loud compared to what I've experienced at other facilities. With 20+ machines running at once, the constant humming and pumping noise makes the room feel overwhelming. While donating, there were frequent loud conversations and arguments between patients and sometimes even back-and-forth with staff. A few staff members tried to keep things calm, but the overall atmosphere often felt chaotic rather than professional. The final incident that made me decide I won't return happened during my last visit. As a donor next to me finished and was leaving, I saw that he had a pistol tucked into the front of his pants. Several people appeared to notice it, but no one reacted or addressed it. Seeing a firearm inside a plasma donation center made me very uncomfortable and ultimately was the moment I decided this facility isn't the right place for me. I understand that every facility has challenges, but compared to other plasma donation centers in the area, this one has been by far the most unpleasant experience I've had. If you're considering donating here, just be prepared for long waits, a very loud environment, and an overall experience that may not feel as organized or comfortable as other facilities.