Stanford Blood Center

Every day, patients at the hospitals on Stanford's medical campus need blood: trauma victims, people in surgery, children with cancer, new mothers who bleed after birth. Much of it comes from Stanford Blood Center, the donor center connected to Stanford Medicine. For Palo Alto residents it is the most direct way to help patients in their own community, often at the hospitals a mile or two from home.

This page explains where to donate near Palo Alto, the eligibility basics the center publishes, how booking works and what to expect. It is general information, not medical advice. Questions about your own health and eligibility go to the center's staff. In a medical emergency, call 911. Details come from Stanford Blood Center's website as it read in late October 2026.

Donation centers near Palo Alto

Stanford Blood Center's locations and hours page listed four fixed centers in late October 2026. None is in Palo Alto. The two closest sit just over the city line on either side.

All four list Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2026, as closed. The Menlo Park, Mountain View and Campbell centers list morning hours only on Wednesday, November 25. At Menlo Park, the center asks donors to park only in Stanford Blood Center spaces or on Burgess Drive.

The Menlo Park center is a short drive from north Palo Alto. Our Menlo Park guide covers the area. The Mountain View center on South Drive is near El Camino Hospital's campus, covered on our El Camino Hospital page.

What happened to the Palo Alto centers

Older listings may point you to Palo Alto. A 2012 Stanford Blood Center announcement said its center at 780 Welch Road on the Stanford medical campus closed for the medical center rebuilding project and moved to Burgess Drive in Menlo Park. The same release named a center at 3373 Hillview Avenue in Palo Alto, which opened in 2005. Hillview does not appear on the current locations page, so treat it as no longer a public donation center and check the live list before you go.

Getting there from Palo Alto

Both nearby centers are easy drives. For Menlo Park, head north on El Camino Real or Middlefield Road across San Francisquito Creek. Burgess Drive runs between Alma Street and Laurel Street. For Mountain View, take El Camino Real south to Grant Road and follow signs toward the hospital campus. Evening slots on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Menlo Park, or Wednesdays in Mountain View, suit people who work regular office hours. Our Mountain View guide has more on that side of town.

Mobile blood drives

Stanford Blood Center also runs mobile drives at workplaces, schools, congregations and community sites. Its locations page links to a drive search by ZIP code or city at sbcdonor.org. It is worth checking for one close to home or work. Employers and groups can ask the center about hosting one.

Eligibility basics

The center's eligibility page lists these general requirements:

• Age. At least 17, or 16 with a parent or guardian's consent. Donors under 17 should bring the completed consent form.
• Weight. Donors 19 or older must weigh at least 110 pounds. Younger donors should check the height and weight tables on the page.
• ID. Bring photo identification.
• Health. Be free of cold and flu symptoms. The page says allergies are fine, as are most medications, though some medications do rule out donation.
• Tattoos. Tattoos from a California state-regulated business do not cause a deferral. A tattoo from outside California, or from an unregulated business, means a three-month wait.
• Travel. Some travel still leads to a deferral. The page notes that common deferrals related to vCJD were removed on January 5, 2023. Check the travel page for details.

The page also advises eating beforehand and drinking plenty of fluids. Eligibility questions go to (650) 723-7831, or toll free 888-723-7831. A resource nurse line is listed at 650-725-7336. Rules change and individual situations vary, so ask the center rather than guessing.

Types of donation

The center's donate page lists two broad kinds of donation.

• Whole blood, the familiar donation most first-time donors give.
• Apheresis, in which a machine collects one component and returns the rest. Stanford Blood Center collects platelets, plasma and SuperRed this way. SuperRed is its name for what was formerly called double red blood cell donation.

Platelets often go to cancer and transplant patients, many of them treated at Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Staff can suggest which type fits your blood type and schedule. Waiting periods between donations differ by type, so ask at your visit.

How to book

1. Pick a time. Book at sbcdonor.org, through the SBC app, by calling 888-723-7831 or by texting 999-777.
2. Do preCheck. SBC preCheck lets you complete the medical history questionnaire before you arrive, which saves time at the center.
3. Prepare. Eat a meal and drink extra fluids beforehand. Bring photo ID. If you are 16, bring the signed consent form too.
4. Arrive and donate. Staff check your eligibility, take a quick health screening and then collect the donation.
5. Rest and refuel. Plan a few minutes for a snack afterward before you drive.

The donate page also says you can walk in to a center or mobile drive. An appointment is still the surest way to avoid a wait, especially for apheresis, which takes longer.

Why it matters locally

Stanford's medical campus runs a Level 1 trauma center for adults and children, a large transplant program and a children's hospital with cancer and heart centers. All of them depend on a steady blood supply. Blood products also have a limited shelf life. Stanford Blood Center makes periodic public appeals when supplies run low, especially around holidays and summer travel.

Blood donation pairs well with other ways to give back. Our volunteering guide lists local organizations that need help. Teenagers looking for service hours can find ideas in our teen volunteering guide, keeping in mind the age rules above.

Frequently asked questions