VITALENT (Donating Blood REVISITED)

On a Sunday I set a 0730 (7:30 a.m.) appointment for myself to donate blook at a location that is 62 miles from my home. Why?

There are numerous places where one can give blood. My local hospital has a donor center. There is also the American Red Cross. Then, there are some private companies that do it as well. Why would you opt for one over the other? At this point, the choice is sort of like an airline to fly. Who has a program that offers the best gives/awards? VITALENT is en-par with the rest.

I first discovered them in San Francisco. They were located in a part of town I didn't frequent. I always like to eat something nearby when I donate blood. So, this time I went to Ventura County (some 60+ miles from my home) to offer a pint of the good stuff.

I don't really know much (or anything, for that matter) as to who oversees companies that receive blood. Who actually owns the blood? How is blood distributed? What is the price of blood? Are there different markets for it in different places and at different times?

Blood is technically tissue, not an organ. According to Britannica :

"blood, fluid that transports oxygen and nutrients to the cells and carries away carbon dioxide and other waste products. Technically, blood is a transport liquid pumped by the heart (or an equivalent structure) to all parts of the body, after which it is returned to the heart to repeat the process. Blood, however, is also type of a tissue, because it is a collection of similar specialized cells that serve particular functions. These cells are suspended in a liquid matrix (plasma), which makes the blood a fluid. If blood flow ceases, death will occur within minutes because of the effects of an unfavorable environment on highly susceptible cells."

I don't have any viable reason for promoting Vitalent over the American Red Cross or a local hospital that collects blood. I discovered the place when I went to San Francisco (as I had mentioned earlier). San Francisco is a beloved city to me and donating blood there is one of the few ways I feel I can give back to the city.