Blood donation eligibility changes for Illinoisans with tattoos | News

(KFVS) - The American Red Cross says Illinois residents who recently received tattoos or are planning them in the future may no longer have to wait before donating blood.

They say effective immediately, those who receive a tattoo from a licensed tattoo facility in Illinois will no longer face a waiting period restriction before being eligible to give blood at a Red Cross drive or donation center.

Previously, anyone receiving a tattoo from an Illinois tattoo facility had to wait 12 months from the date of receiving the tattoo before they could donate with the Red Cross. The Red Cross says getting rid of the waiting period follows similar steps already taken in Missouri and Kansas.

The change to the policy coincides with the launch of what the Red Cross calls the Biomedical Architecture program, or BioArch, in the Tennessee Valley Blood Services Region. The Red Cross says BioArch is a three-phase program intended to modernize Biomedical Services and help them continue to collect blood and blood products of the  highest possible quality.

Anyone with questions about blood donor eligibility can visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

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