S-906                 _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5399

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Senators Cantu, Johnson, Anderson, Rasmussen, Craswell, Smith and Lee

Read first time 1/24/89 and referred to Committee on  Health Care & Corrections.

AN ACT Relating to blood donors; and adding new sections to chapter 70.54 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 70.54 RCW to read as follows:

          Any blood donor program established in this state for receiving blood donations for medical or health purposes shall establish a program and procedure to honor requests by donors to have the blood donations directed for use to persons as specified by such donors for a period of fourteen days following the donation.  The blood donor program may charge reasonable fees for such directed blood donations to cover administrative costs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 70.54 RCW to read as follows:

          The program aspects established under section 1 of this act will include, but not be limited to:

          (1) Designated donations may be accepted only on written request of the patient's responsible physician and with the written consent of the patient or legal guardian.  The physician request shall state the required blood components;

          (2) Designated donations may be permitted only for a specific patient who is scheduled for a procedure that has a reasonable likelihood of requiring transfusion;

          (3) Directed donations may be accepted prior to testing the blood type of the designated recipient;

          (4) The blood bank may separate blood donated into its component parts;

          (5) The blood components may be directed only if they are viable for at least fourteen days; and

          (6) Cryoprecipitate may be directed only upon special request by the donor with written request by the physician.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 70.54 RCW to read as follows:

          The procedural aspects established under section 1 of this act will include, but not be limited to:

          (1) The donor shall designate the recipient of the blood.  Only one recipient may be named;

          (2) The donor will make an appointment with the blood donor program for the donation;

          (3) The donor will sign a release when the blood is donated which includes an acknowledgement that the designated recipient may not receive the directed blood donation due to emergencies, incompatibility in blood type, breakage, contamination, or other unforeseen problems.  Therefore, there is no guarantee that designated blood will be suitable or made available for transfusion; and

          (4) The physician request shall be submitted to the blood bank one week in advance and no less than forty-eight work week hours prior to the expected transfusion date.