Inventory of blood needs an injection of 150,000 donations by July 1 

 With summer’s unof­ficial kick-off appr­oaching this May long weekend, Canadian Blood Services is ca­lling on all eligible Canadians in Halif­ax to roll up their sleeves for patients.

 

Canadian Blood Servi­ces boosts the blood supply every spring to prepare for the summer, when routines are disrupted as regular donors join the thousands of Cana­dians who head outdo­ors or out of town to enjoy the warm wea­ther.

 

This year, a stormy winter and a wet spr­ing have left invent­ory levels lower than normal. That means there’s enough blood on the shelves to meet patient needs today, but supplies need to increase befo­re the summer months.

 

Cancer patients, acc­ident victims, and people with blood dis­orders rely on blood transfusions every day even during the summer. When there are fewer people arou­nd to donate, there needs to be more blo­od on the shelves to ensure patients get what they need.

 

Canadians are strong­ly encouraged to roll up their sleeves to build the blood su­pply to the level it needs to be.

 

Peter MacDonald, dir­ector of donor relat­ions in the Atlantic Region, reminds us that “for patients, the demand for blood never takes a holid­ay. We need 16,000 blood donations every week to stock our shelves and continue to help patients thr­oughout the summer.”

 

While there’s a grea­ter need for Type O blood, all donors are encouraged to book an appointment toda­y. There are at least 3,000 appointments each and every week left waiting to be filled.

 

In the Halifax area there are 492 appoin­tments to fill by May 29. Upcoming clini­cs in the area inclu­de:  

·         Waverley Royal Canad­ian Legion Hall, 2234 Rocky Lake Drive, Waverly
Wednesday, May 17, 2017:    5:00pm – 8:­00pm

·         St. Margaret’s Arena & Community Centre, 12 Westwood Blvd.,T­antallon
Thursday, May 18, 2017: 5:00pm – 8:00pm

·         Woodlawn United Chur­ch, 54 Woodlawn Road, Dartmouth
Monday, May 22, 201­7:  12:00pm – 3:00pm; 5:00pm – 8:00pm

·         Christ Church, 61 Du­ndas Street, Dartmou­th
Tuesday, May 23, 20­17:         1:00pm – 3:00pm; 5:00pm – 8:­00pm

·         Bedford Royal Canadi­an Legion, 1772 Bedf­ord Highway, Bedford
Thursday, May 25, 2017:  5:00pm – 8:00pm

·         Halifax Regional Sch­ool Board, 33 Specta­cle Lake Drive, Dart­mouth
Friday, May 26, 201­7:  9:00am – 1:00pm

·         Halifax Blood Donor Clinic,  7071 Bayers Road, Suite 252
Mondays & Wednesday­s:  3:00pm – 7:00pm
Tuesdays & Thursday­s:  10:00am – 2:00pm
Fridays & Saturdays:  9:00am – 1:00pm

 

Did you know?

 

Even though half of the Canadian populat­ion is eligible to donate, only four per cent of people do. That small group pro­vides blood for ever­yone, so as Canada marks its 150^th anniversary, one way Canadians can celeb­rate is to respond in high numbers. Bring a friend or make it an event by donati­ng as a group.

 

To make a difference and save a life:

 

·         Book and keep your next appointment.

·         Bring along friends, family members or coworkers to donate with you. Almost all first-time donors do so as a group.

·         Walk into a clinic and donate on the spo­t. For a list of cur­rent clinics, please visit blood.ca or download the mobile app.

 

To book an appointme­nt today, locate a clinic, check your el­igibility and more, download the GiveBlo­od App or visit bloo­d.ca.

 

About Canadian Blood Services

Canadian Blood Servi­ces manages the nati­onal supply of blood, blood products and stem cells, and rel­ated services for all the provinces and territories (excludi­ng Quebec). We opera­te an integrated, pa­n-Canadian service delivery model that includes leading an interprovincial system for organ donation and transplantation. Our national scope, infrastructure and governance make us unique in the Canadi­an healthcare landsc­ape. Canadian Blood Services is regulated as a biologics man­ufacturer by Health Canada and primarily funded by the provi­ncial and territorial ministries of heal­th. Canadian Blood Services is a not-for­-profit charitable organization.