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    Vitalant Blood Donation- San Mateo

    3.7 (51 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 6:30 pm

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    Randy H.

    Vitalant (Blood Centers of the Pacific) is now located in San Mateo at 48 Second Ave. This across 2nd Ave from Mills Health Center & PAMF / Sutter Health Urgent Care. The facility is a BIG improvement over the former Millbrae location. Unfortunately Parking is no longer free but they give extra "hero" reward points to compensate. Donating whole blood, platelets, & other blood components is worthwhile and personally philanthropic. Consider donating whole blood (need to wait about 2 months between donations) Or donate platelets / plasma (can donate more frequently). Donating platelets takes more time, but recovering is much faster - important to me as an avid recreational road bicyclist! Side benefits: Free blood pressure check Free cholesterol check Exercise for your bone marrow in replacing the donated red blood cells. Cash out hero reward points fore movie tickets, restaurant gift cards, .... I've been donating for over 40 years with a cumulative volume of at least 15 gallons.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Vitalant Blood Donation- San Mateo

    Review Highlights - Vitalant Blood Donation- San Mateo

    lols but for one thing i wish they had paid greater attention to my low blood pressure before having me donate blood...

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Stanford Blood Center - Nov 2025 promotional ugly sweater for donating blood!

    Stanford Blood Center

    4.2(50 reviews)
    19.0 mi

    I just want to say, thanks so much too Janelle (whom I think might be the manager?) and Cynthia,…read morethe gal on the phone who coordinated with SBC to allow me to make a donation today, despite the fact that I couldn't get there until three o'clock. I drove all the way from Coalinga, to make a donation today, and I might be moving, so I didn't know if I would even be in the area a month from now. Somehow I managed to take a wrong turn on the 152, which had me running late. The first gal I talked to on the phone was surprisingly rude. I'm not going to say her name, but it began with a B. I told her I was running a little bit late for my 2:30 appt (which was supposed to be in Menlo Park), and she rudely told me that I had to get there by two thirty or else I would be locked out. I was like, whaaaat? I knew that was not correct because if you make an appointment, they say that if you keep the appointment and are not more than like ten or fifteen minutes late, you can actually get extra points for that in the donor loyalty store. Then, at some point I realized my g p s was actually directing me to the mountain view center and not Menlo Park. Luckily, I did not get that first lady on the phone again. Cynthia answered, and she was very sweet and said she would check with the people in mountain view and see if I could donate there instead. She came back on the line and said it would be okay as long as I could definitely make it there by three ( i want to emphasize that she definitely did say I had to be there by three and I guess it was my bad that I thought that meant it's ok to get there AT 3, not realizing it has to be BEFORE 3). I said yes no problem, i actually would have five minutes to spare. She then let the people at the Menlo Park center know i would be going to donate at a different location. Well when I got there, I have to be honest, I had two dogs in the car and felt like I needed to let them take a quick potty break because we had been in the car for almost three hours. Then, I had to scramble to figure out which door in the building was for the Stanford blood center. If I had known which one was the right door to go to, I probably would have made it in at 2:59. But I had to ask around, and didn't figure out which was the right door until 3:00 on the nose... and apparently by then it is too late. The door was closed. I had to knock on it and practically beg them to let me just do the donation, because honestly I don't know if i'm going to be able to come back again. The gal who answered the door had to go get Janelle to ask if they could make an exception. I was like please please just take me, i already filled out the precheck questionnaire, and it only takes me like four minutes for them to draw a pint of blood from my arm (drinking lots of water is the key). Luckily, Janelle agreed to take me. And she saw I wasn't kidding, I was done in 4:02. Janelle was super nice and we talked about her huskies, because I am fostering three, and she used to have one. Anyway, I am so glad to have been able to get this out of the way, and really appreciate everyone's patience today. I did a post on nextdoor asking people to please donate because this is a really critical time where blood is needed more than other times in the year. I always feel really good after I donate, so it's really a win win situation. Today was my fifty third donation, and the nice people who work for SBC are a big part of the reason I keep coming back. Happy new year everyone!!!

    I have not met a place as professional and caring as the Stanford Blood Center when it comes to…read moreblood donations. In my early 20s, I had donated blood in the past through other organizations but was scarred from my past experiences. Recently, I donated blood for my friend's memorial drive through the Stanford Blood Center. After the 8 week waiting period, I decided to try my experience again but this time at the actual brick-and-mortar blood center location. The staff recognize your contributions, and they make sure to accommodate that every step of the way. I had an appointment for a whole blood donation, and the check-in process was very simple with the required questionnaire, vitals check, and short wait period. The area for donations is a very comfortable area with elevated plush chairs. It was cozy enough such that I could fall asleep in them! The phlebotomist was super professional at getting me situated before the needle poke and she really knew her way into identifying my vein. I've had struggles in the past where phlebotomists had a hard time finding it or moving the needle around in my arm to find my vein (part of the scarring from the past). Once the needle is in, the blood donation process takes about 7-10 mins on average. After the donation, you have the required 15 min waiting period. They bring you over to their canteen area, and a volunteer brings your choice of snacks and drinks. Their snack selection is plentiful, from your choice of fruit, chips, cookies, and a variety of drinks! Absolutely made the recovery process a lot more enjoyable, and you can get refills on snacks as well! They really treat their donors well, and my goal now is to keep donating my blood as often as possible to help save some lives!

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    Stanford Blood Center
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    Stanford Blood Center - Be sure to ask for POG to drink after donating blood!

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    Be sure to ask for POG to drink after donating blood!

    Physicians Plasma Alliance

    Physicians Plasma Alliance

    5.0(1 review)
    20.5 miElmwood

    The PPA in Berkeley procures blood and bone marrow for research with payment "for your time". They…read moreschedule donors during the mornings on Monday-Thursday so the products can be shipped fresh to the contracting laboratories. Plan to spend quite a while at the first visit filling out your medical history, including any prescriptions you take. If you pass the written screening, small samples of blood will be taken and tested for HIV and hepatitis. Once they are screened, which takes a business day, they will call to schedule your donation. A great thing: if you had questionable historyy from your distant past such that the Red Cross will not accept your blood, it will not disqualify you from donating as long as you never contracted anything. Nawid at the front desk and Barbie who explains and takes the blood are both very personable and effective. A doctor takes the bone marrow from two points in the hip bones. PPA prefers consistent donors, and will call you to ask if you'd like to come in again at the time blood or bone marrow has been replenished in your body. Payment is made in cash immediately afterwards, and was much more than the amount listed on the agreement form which must be signed at each donation. That amount may have been for plasma donation in their TN office. Rather than donate plasma, if you want to help medical science and yourself financially as well, I highly recommend PPA!

    Vitalant Blood Donation- San Mateo - blooddonation - Updated May 2026

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