Ohio blood-donor age drops to 16 from 17

10/6/2009

Starting Tuesday, 16-year-old Ohioans can donate blood with written permission from their parents or guardians.

The American Red Cross is encouraging the high school students to start the habit of donating blood. Seventeen had been the youngest age to donate blood in Ohio.

Besides having written permission, 16-year-olds must meet a weight criterion linked to height to give blood. Boys at least 5 feet tall and girls at least 5 feet, 6 inches tall, for example, must weigh at least 110 pounds.

In conjunction with the new TV series The Vampire Diaries, meanwhile, Toledo's CW Network is hosting a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at 115 South Reynolds Road.