Greetings, all! Very busy past few months and no time to post but now have a dilemma on which I need some feedback.

We have recently had some issues with HS donors who are also competitive athletes (and their parents) becoming irate due to a decrease in performance in the days after a donation. We provide basic info on the appt card re: hold off on strenuous activity for 24-28 hours, rehydrate, no heavy lifting, etc., but nothing specific re: athletic performance, particularly for endurance events like track, basketball, etc. We had one track competitor ask about doing a meet the next day after donating, but it was at the end of the phlebotomy!

Anyway, does anyone have specific information they provide either to drive coordinators, to their recruiters, drive staff, etc, to answer these questions? Do any of you have written info specfically for athletes at a site?

Thanks for your input!

MJ :cool:

Hey MJ, We received so many complaints (many from coaches) that we have a very colorful, very large poster with a picture of a "jogger" on it that states. "You should not donate if you are participating in an athletic event in the next 48 hours." Please speak to one of the screeners if you have any questions. These are used at all drives where it is conceivable that a competitive sport may be involved. ie High School, Colleges, Sport/Health fairs. This has been VERY effective and we have been thanked numerous times (usually from adult athletes) for this warning. Good Luck

Thanks, OPUS104. That's a good idea. We're especially looking for something to attract attention at the donor site, as we recognize that prospective donors do not always read all the pieces of paper, brochures, etc, that we may provide!

If you have time and can work with the coaches or athletic directors they might even be willing to help encourage athletes who are 'off-season' and in the even better position to donate.