UCHealth to Open Blood Donation Center in Greeley 

UCHealth is opening a blood donation center in Greeley to help meet the growing needs of the community.

Garth Englund Blood Center – Greeley will offer platelet donations, whole blood donations, and therapeutic procedures. It will officially open on December 12 and will be housed at 6906 W. 10^th St. in the Northgate Village shopping center. The center will be open five days a week: 7:30 am-5 pm Monday, Tuesday, and Friday and 9:30 am-7 pm Wednesday and Thursday.

Donations of all blood types are needed and important, said Anna Johnson, manager of the UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Centers in Greeley, Loveland, and Fort Collins.

“Thirty minutes of your time could mean a lifetime to a person in need – and his or her family and friends,” she said.

The opening of the center comes at a time when blood supplies typically start to hit critical levels, Johnson said. Holiday activities, travel, and seasonal illnesses often prevent people from sticking to their regular blood donation schedules in December and January. The seasonal lull always impacts local blood supplies while the needs of patients remain steady.

Donors are able to schedule donation appointments now at the new Greeley center thanks to a new online donor portal. In addition to scheduling a donation at the center, the interactive system also allows donors to also look up their blood type, their last donation date, their gallon total, and upcoming mobile blood drive opportunities.

To schedule a donation at the new center, create a new account on the donor portal at https://bit.ly/DonateGreeley or call 970.495.8965.

To donate blood, a person must be at least 18 years old (or 17 with a parent’s permission) and show photo identification. New blood donors must weigh at least 120 pounds and be in good health. Prior donors must weigh at least 110 pounds with no complications during previous donations and feel well and healthy.

At Garth Englund donation centers, the process of giving blood is very simple:

• When you enter the donation center staff members guide you through the process and answer your questions.
• The donation process takes 30 to 45 minutes. This includes the time needed to fill out the health history and consent forms.
• The rest of the process includes having your vitals taken and undergoing a finger-stick test called a hemoglobin test, which checks your volume of red blood cells.
• The actual drawing of blood – a pint – takes five to 10 minutes.

All blood donated through Garth Englund centers stays local. It helps patients at Greeley Hospital, Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont, and Estes Park Health.