New blood donation rules allow more gay men to give in US
New blood donations rules will allow sexually active gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships to give in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration guidelines ease decades-old restrictions on blood donations put in place to protect the blood supply from HIV.
![โYou never know when you will be the person in needโ: Mayor Turner addresses deficit in blood supply, encourages Houstonians to help by donating](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/cXKfsVzkJYsIgERJjPjlUgz4BUg=/800x450/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/H2JUGVGN5VAUJFHNIKGFIF7TVY.jpg)
โYou never know when you will be the person in needโ: Mayor Turner addresses deficit in blood supply, encourages Houstonians to help by donating
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner held a news conference Wednesday where he addressed a deficit in the cityโs blood supply. Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Persse and representatives for the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center joined Turner for the 11 a.m. announcement.
![How you can be a hero and help save up to 3 lives with a simple blood donation](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/BRGqwxGRJxK0fICgE82wvmh5zWo=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/03-15-2021/t_c8cd3a502499460e84766ebf07da009c_name_image.jpg)
How you can be a hero and help save up to 3 lives with a simple blood donation
The advertiser paid a fee to promote this sponsored article and may have influenced or authored the content. The views expressed in this article are those of the advertiser and do not necessarily reflect those of this site or affiliated companies. HOUSTON โ The call to action for blood donations is always a high priority, but itโs especially critical during holiday breaks, when school is out and when many may be traveling. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Centerโs Community Development Coordinator, Cameron Palmer shares everything we need to know. For more information visit GiveBlood.org or call 713-790-1200.
![How to host your own local blood drive](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/Uv5FRjKC1kzwINGuDYVUSYFLqfo=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/02-19-2021/t_e01d39b367604efcbf380c033962e366_name_image.jpg)
How to host your own local blood drive
The advertiser paid a fee to promote this sponsored article and may have influenced or authored the content. The views expressed in this article are those of the advertiser and do not necessarily reflect those of this site or affiliated companies. HOUSTON โ Did you know you could help save lives in our community by hosting blood drives at your business, church, school or community organization throughout the year? Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Director of Donor Recruitment, Kevin Shipley shares everything we need to know for a successful blood drive. For more information visit GiveBlood.org or call (713) 791-6373.
![Blood center needs convalescent plasma as experts warn of possible surge in COVID-19 cases](https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/id-4VsLeJxvvaxdGjVqqvSm7jS4=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/10-13-2020/t_a399f880d898445d90f7b8f4dd61e206_name_image.jpg)
Blood center needs convalescent plasma as experts warn of possible surge in COVID-19 cases
At the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, medical director Dr. Marsha Bertholf explained, โ(blood from COVID-19 survivors) contains antibodies that then can go into the patients and help fight off the virus.โUsing convalescent plasma is a very old treatment. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center said all donations stay in our community first. If you are positive for antibodies, the blood center will call you and request a plasma donation. Plasma donationPlasma is the clear, straw-colored liquid portion of blood that remains after red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and other cellular components are removed. The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center tests blood donations for antibodies.