Community Blood Center to accept LGBTQIA+ donors amid blood supply emergency

(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) A media release from the Community Blood Center (CBC) states that the centers will begin a new screening process for donors beginning on October 4th based on Individual Donor Assessment (IDA) instead of sexual or gender identity. 

According to the CBC, the region’s blood supply is dangerously low and they need donors that are specifically type O+, O-, B- and the platelet supply is also low. 

All blood types are needed but these three types are especially needed.

According to the CBC this is both a regional and a national issue, as many centers have put out a call requesting donors.

Vice President of CBC, Patsy Shipley said, “For decades, we have strongly advocated for scientifically-based changes to the FDA policies regarding gay and bisexual men and this recent decision by the FDA  is a huge step toward making blood donation more inclusive.”

Shipley continued, “We look forward to welcoming these new donors to our centers and blood drives, especially following a tough summer with low donor turnout.”

In 1983, the FDA instituted a lifetime deferral on blood donations for gay and bisexual men in order to reduce the chance of HIV in the blood supply at a time when testing was limited or non-existent.

In 2015, the FDA revised this policy and moved to a 12-month deferral for men who have sex with men in response to comprehensive testing capabilities and data demonstrating safety in shortened deferral.

This policy was revised again in 2020 to the current 3-month deferral.

The change is based on data from the “Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility” study (ADVANCE), which determined if different eligibility criteria could be used to focus on each individual donor’s assessment rather than their sexual or gender identity.

Detailed information about the new IDA guidelines can be found here.