The issue of gay men and blood donations erupted in the aftermath of Orlando’s nightclub shooting Sunday when gay men were turned away from donating blood at the city’s blood bank, OneBlood. The Community Blood Center in Collier County plans to have its procedures in place within several months to comply the Lee Memorial Health System in Lee County is aiming for mid-August, hospital officials say. Southwest Florida blood centers are not yet permitting gay men to donate blood, although federal policy has changed.
