NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Blood donations help save lives.
"When I say it, I really mean it. Every single unit counts," said Dr. Liz Culler, chief medical officer at Blood Assurance.
In fact, it's an experience she knows first-hand.
"I will tell you the reason why I'm here. Both of my parents had cancer and both were transfusion recipients. It was definitely life-changing for my family," she said.
Now that the FDA is easing restrictions for gay and bisexual men, she said more people will get the help they need.
"It gives us a different population that we can recruit to donate blood. We have the data showing it's safe to collect from this population. We just want to supply safe and adequate blood to our communities," she said.
The change opens blood donations and allows men in monogamous relationships to donate blood without abstaining from sex.
"A male who's had sex with another male if they are in a monogamous relationship and they've been in that relationship for more than three months, they are eligible to donate blood," she said.
For years, blood banks have placed restrictions preventing men who have sex with men from donating, because of fears that it could lead to the spread of HIV.
But Culler said data shows that isn't the case.
"I will tell you this has already been done in other countries. Both Canada and the UK have already implemented the same change in policy and they have not seen an increase in their HIV transmission rates," she said.
Since the pandemic, Culler said, the number of people donating blood has declined. The hope is that the FDA's latest move helps turn things around.
"The FDA does not frequently make changes like this so it is always exciting to see a change that can increase the safety and also increase you know the number of people eligible to donate," she said.
If you would like to learn more about how to donate blood, you can visit Blood Assurance's website HERE.
