[Med-privacy] [Fwd: New York Blood Center requires SSN to donate]

[Ilene Johnson]

This is what is on their web site concerning SSN.  What they don't say is
how to get a donor number and keep SSN out of their records permanently.

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In  the past year many more donors have questioned the requirement to
provide their social security number as part of the blood donation process.
We at the New York Blood Center are very sensitive to the privacy and
confidentiality of information about our blood donors.
After a person has donated blood for the first time a NYBC Donor Card with a
unique "Donor Number" will be issued. Repeat donors may use this unique
Donor Number in lieu of a social security number for any future donations,
provided they present their signed donor ID card at the time of donation.If
a first time donor or a repeat donor without a donor ID card refuses to
provide their social security number, he/she is not eligible for donation at
that time.

The New York Blood Center uses social security numbers to uniquely identify
donors, so that we can maintain a computerized record of each donor and all
of the donations they have given to our organization. The purpose of unique
records is to protect the safety of the blood supply. For example, we need
to know that if a donor who is ineligible donates blood, it must be
discarded. We need to be able to trace previous donations from a donor who
subsequently tests positive on one of the blood screening tests.

The ability to maintain a unique record is a requirement of the Food and
Drug Administration, the federal agency that regulates blood collection in
the United States. The federal Social Security Act states that blood
collection organizations may use social security numbers as unique donor
identifiers. It is fair to say that social security number is used
throughout the country in this way. An acceptable alternative to social
security number is passport or visa number.

Law at the state level addresses protection of blood donor confidentiality.
We only release information about blood donors if required by law, such as
Dept of Health reporting of various test results, or by court order. We
never share information about donors with their employer, insurance company,
financial agencies, etc. This includes demographic data such as social
security number. Multiple levels of access codes and passwords protect our
computerized donor records.

We have never had a breach in confidentiality of records. We hope that our
donors will remember the trust the community places in them to provide an
adequate blood supply and continue or join this worthy endeavor. GIVE BLOOD,
SAVE A NEIGHBOR!