By Hannah Nicholson, staff writer
For anyone under 18 who wants to donate blood, there have been some changes made to the forms you must complete. Parental consent must now be obtained for 16 and 17 year olds, whereas in past years, prior parental consent was only needed until age 16.
The change is due to a research test in blood centers searching for the Zika virus, which started on November 16, 2016 and is an FDA requirement. Individuals under 18 years of age require parental consent to be part of a research test due to Pennsylvania state law. If you are 16 or 17 years old and do not have a signed parental consent, you will not be permitted to donate blood.
The next blood drive at Saegertown will be Thursday, Feb. 9. The updated consent forms are available in the office.