Community Blood Center of the Carolinas

I donate plateletts at this facility and the staff always make sure I am well taken care of. If it’s cold, just tell them. They have blankets and they will also heat up bags to place over you. You can watch tv or bring your own devices with you since they have Wifi. I often get faint so I always alert them to this. They make sure I am hydrated and fed during the process to prevent me from passing out. The one time I did almost faint, they were very quick to respond even though they were helping others. Just let them know what you need and they are all over it. Remember, you are donating and it’s nothing like what the people who need your donations are going through. If it isn’t the most perfect experience for you, get over it. The staff here does the best they can in this busy environment in order to help others that are in need of our donations!

The big blood bus came to my work and I was able to donate. The bus was a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be. The staff was clearly very familiar with the bus life and maneuvered around well. I was impressed. I’d feel claustrophobic, myself.
Everything was professional and friendly and well-​executed. I’ve had my blood drawn a LOT (ugh), and I’ve encountered a lot of nurses who end up poking around for a long while. um OUCH! Hello? Do you know what you’re doing? Not here. These guys are total pros. The actual draw took around 5 minutes only. I was impressed. Didn’t feel a thing, either. :)

The mobile team recently visited my workplace and they were great! Everyone was friendly and kept me informed during the donation process. I look forward to donating blood through this organization in the future.

Nice place. The workers are all very pleasant. A bit cold. I wish they had electric blankets. Its the only part about donating I do not like.

Get there before rush hour so you can miss the traffic.
The staff is the only reason I can’t give this 5 stars. They seemed pre occupied. You don’t want to seem like this when you are getting stuck with needles. It just is a bit upsetting.
The mobile team is awesome though.

I donated platelets here today and the experience was fantastic. Very friendly and professional staff, and they told you exactly how much time to expect to spend here. I donated in honor of Isabella Santos, and have been trying to «take action» for Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. But CBCC made everything so easy and painless that I’ll definitely make platelet donation something I do regularly.
It took just over 2 hours to donate platelets. I used just one arm, and one you get the rhythm of the machine it’s not so bad. Tina did my mini physical and walked me through everything. She was very sweet, and on top of the blanket distribution — They’re not kidding when they say to dress warm! By the end of the donation I had three blankets on me. The needle itself a little bit uncomfortable, but not any worse than I’ve experienced the other times that I’ve given blood. Be sure to ask any and all questions that you have, the staff is patient and informative. The woman that scheduled me, Chris, actually stopped by and made a point to check on me and see how everything was going — so nice!
I actually preferred this to donating whole blood although it takes more time. Because they put the blood and some saline back in (that’s the cold part), I didn’t have any issue when I was done. I got my (free) snacks and was ready to go!

Donated platelets here three times and have had enjoyable experiences every time. The whole staff greets you warmly and is very thankful for donating the time and body for platelet donation.
I haven’t really had many experiences at other Blood centers, but you are pretty much stuck in one place for about two hours. The first time I donated, I used one arm and it took about 3hrs… now I save an hour by using two arms (one for the intake and the other for the return). It does save an hour, but you are pretty much shot if you want to read a book or do anything else.
There is a centralized tv, and the staff is more than happy to change the channels to your liking — just have to agree on one thing to watch. The last couple of times I’ve been here, I just end up talking to the staff and the other donors.
Now I don’t recommend donating if you are scared of needles or the sight of blood. The gauge needle they use is MASSIVE, but they are very gentle (I usually don’t look-​it helps). But the small marks on the crooks on my arm are but a small price to pay for the ability to touch two lives that are in need of platelets. Whether it’s for surgery, cancer treatments, or more importantly: children, it’s important to keep a steady donation supply going to hospitals and I am more than happy to do what I can.
The great thing about platelet donation is that they draw the blood, spin the platelets out of your blood and then put it back in… so it is not as detrimental as a regular whole blood donation is (which is important for me) so I can stay active [as a wannabe runner].