American Red Cross

I started regularly donating platelets here after realizing that I have a high platelet count earlier this year. I try to go weekly when I can and it's easy to book and manage appointments via their Blood Donor App. With the platelet donation process taking a total of around 3 hours, doing the Rapid Pass on the app beforehand is super appreciated by the staff!

The location is easily accessible by public transit - I take the 6/7 bus lines from home or the N, K, J, M Muni lines from FiDi. I was a little confused about how to enter the building at first since a security guard needs to buzz you inside.

Absolutely love all of the staff. They are super helpful, kind, and attentive throughout the whole process. Even when I had a needle infiltration, I was well taken care of! I was also turned away often in the beginning for low hemoglobin but the staff was very knowledgeable & appreciative.

I usually come in at 2PM and it's pretty empty with no wait. I have never done a walk-in red blood donation but I often see a lot of quick walk-ins with no wait time as well.

Each platelet donation station has a TV with all the streaming platforms and headphones to listen with. The center is always well-stocked with snacks and donor gifts every time I come in.

Highly recommend!

A friend inspired me to start giving blood again. It was really easy to make an appointment through ARC's app. I knew parking would be tough on Market St so I biked. (Transit would be another great option.) I appreciated the bike rack right outside the front door. Check in was easy and the facility was secure and very clean. The phlebotomist was a pro and got my difficult vein on one stick, and the donation was over quickly. Plus the view out the window while having my recovery snack was beautiful. Give blood--save a life--eat snacks--and have a good time doing it!

Had an amazing experience donating blood for the first time today at this donation center. Located on the second floor of the building, the space was very clean, well-lighted and super spacious! Everything was also seamless from check-in to the actual procedure. The staff assigned to me, Lanisha, was especially kind and answered all my questions :) Looking forward to donating regularly from now on!

Dear friends, I sit here in Long Island New York and feel helpless as I watch the Heartbreak of the many currently raging wildfires that have devastated so many people's lives. In just a few short days. The Loss has been unfathomable.. with some of these monster California Fires burning at a rate of 30 football fields a minute...(That's "30"a minute!)

These horrific wildfires have claimed countless animals and resulted in billions of dollars in damage. I was emotionally shaken to hear of how many who lost their lives.. where discovered in their cars fleeing the hell.
I cannot thank FIREMAN, FIRST Responders, POLICE.. and all of Our Heroes enough for their incredible dedication selfless actions and tireless heroic efforts.

Thank you to all who battle these fires from our firemen and First Responders, police and Community Folk armed with only a hose and shovel.

I pray and praise you all who rushed selflessly to Aid ..
.. and they continue to fight these fires as we speak.. as I am writing.

You can do something small.. it won't take but a few minutes if you want to help.. you can do it now with the phone right in your hand.. just text to REDCROSS to 90999 for a $10..Donation! It's such a small amount .. Give more if you could afford.. if we ALL do it it'll make SUCH a DIFFERENCE. We won't be as helpless anymore, we'll be the the Yelp family that shows caring and love in a way that can give back. Or if you also can you can directly fund the First Responders right in the neighborhoods of need.
Go to htpp://supportlafd.org

If ALL of my friends and family across the Yelp world do this small thing we ..will help ease the pain just a little bit do such good to help so many... and not feel as helpless.
Please join me !! and DONATE today.

You need to check if your work place (hospitals, EMS) recognizes the CPR license from Red Cross BEFORE registering! I took mine from the Red Cross and my workplace rejected it. They want one from AHA. That was $70 and 3 hours down the drain. I asked my Red Cross instructor if the certification is accepted and she gave me a vague. "Why not "? That should had clued me in. FYI , the Red Cross CPR certification USED to be acceptable (as I later learned ) for some reason it is no longer accepted by some hospitals.

The place was clean, the staff was very attentive. Hand sanitizer and other disinfectant was always used before they let the blood donor touch or sit or lay down on anything. Karl was the person who was caring for me, he was nice and funny, made the whole process so pleasant. They provide snacks, water, and juice for us. I'd totally come to donate blood here again. Oh parking is the only thing that was kinda painful, plan to spare some 15 mins to find a street parking.

Did my CPR/First Aid training for adults and kids last week. Had a great experience.

If you sign up, make sure to do the online portion, and take the test at the end! Some people didn't do that or forgot to print out the certificate which the instructor WILL CHECK!!

If you don't take the test online, which is just 30 simple MC questions after watching two hours worth of short video tutorials, you have to take a written test after the workshop! That is no fun, so bring your certificate!

Also this is something fun to do with a friend because they pair you up to practice the heimlich and other emergency procedures which was kinda awkward for me to do with a strange man...

The certificates are online and you get it after one day via email! It's super convenient in case you lose it, you can print another one.

I also was able to secure a coupon code for 30% online so I only paid 70!!

I had been putting this off cause I didn't know much about it, but the whole thing is super super super easy! And you learn a lot of emergency protocols.

I had such a great experience during my CPR/AED class. I enjoyed every minute of it. Luckily I had opportunity to have Roger Stephens as instructor and it was fun. He explained everything, he didn't just read from slides. So my overall experience was wonderful and it's worth it!

Did someone say mouth to mouth? Well, now I'm officially certified to administer it. If you need me to dislodge something with my fingers, I can do that, as well. The life-saving skills taught here are INVALUABLE. Especially living in an area that is likely to have a big QUAKE SHAKEDOWN any day now, I think individual and community Emergency Preparedness is A MUST!

Before this weekend, I was only certified to give CPR to infants (any child under 1 year of age). Now, I can actually affect the heart rates and beats of men closer to my age group...HERRRRRO!

Seriously, I think that after seeing MULTIPLE vehicular and pedestrian accidents near my residence in SF, being equipped to assist by more than just dialing 9-11 (although, that is an invaluable skill itself) is empowering.

I think that everyone should not be afraid to help their fellow human being.

CPR isn't about saving a life. Yes, you may save a random life with it, but mostly CPR is about saving the life of someone you love. Face it...if you aren't a medical or 911 professional, the odds of having to save a stranger on the street are a fraction of having to deal with a parent/child/significant other at home who is choking or whose heart for whatever reason isn't pumping blood.

Yes, it can happen to you. Kids drown it pools, adults get steak caught in their throat or hurt in accidents or party too hard, older people's tickers just give out. CPR training gives you a good shot at saving these lives. And its just a few hours to learn.

I've had CPR in the past, my card was expired, decided to renew at the American Red Cross. I picked ARC because they happened to have a conveniently scheduled class. But wow...did I luck out. The instructor, Tony Douglas, was excellent, head and shoulders above any CPR instructions I've had before. Knew the material cold, told just enough cool paramedic stories to keep people interested without wasting class time, was articulate, and best of all, was full of useful tips and tricks. For example, rescue breathing requires a breath every five seconds (one one thousand, two one thousand...) and counting cycles (1, 2, 3) but its easy to get confused. Tony's solution? Use months (January, February...) to count the cycles. Simple and effective.

I cornered Tony after class and he said he also teaches for the American Heart Association and can do private or group certification classes. He's good. Contact him at tonemt67@yahoo.com.