From Foster's Daily Democrat:

If participants are residents of New Hampshire, Massachusetts or Rhode Island, those states mandate that insurance companies cover the cost of being tested at the drive. Otherwise, the cost is $75.

But there will also be a raffle held during the drive. The proceeds will go toward the Caitlin Raymond International Registry, which is a coordinating center for bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell and placental cord unit donor searches. The registry is working with Plante to hold the drive, to cover the cost of anyone who doesn't have the $75 or cannot afford the cost.

Plante said there are some great prizes for the raffle including sports tickets and items signed by the Boston Bruins hockey team.

The drive will be held Friday, May 2 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Castaways at 31 Cocheco St. All are welcome, but only people ages 16 to 60 are eligible to be tested, and anyone who qualifies who is 16 years of age cannot undergo the procedure until age 18.

I'd also like to highlight something mentioned earlier in the article:

Plante has organized the bone marrow drive, which will be held at Castaways Restaurant and Lounge on Cocheco Street in Dover. Plante said it took a lot of phone calls and effort to figure out how the process works, but once she got in touch with the right people, it was "so easy."

The "right people" in the United States are the National Marrow Donor Program. If you visit their website, they'll tell you who to contact and what they can support you with. We've heard from others than organizing a drive is, more than anything else, a matter of finding space. Like the act of registering, it isn't that hard to make a significant impact.

Labels: bone marrow drives, free registration, New Hampshire, US