Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is calling for more new donors and more consistent donations after a major decrease in the national blood supply.
Since June 1, the national blood supply has seen a 20 per cent decrease according to CBS. Community Development Manager Marisa Gatfield says there needs to be a major uptick in donation appointments to allow the supply to catch up to demand.
"Nationally we need around 18,000 appointments to be filled each week across the country and there's been a shortfall of about 1,500-2,500 appointments over the past several weeks," Gatfield explained.
While CBS always anticipates and preps for a downturn in appointments for blood donations in the summer, this year has seen an even steeper drop off than usual.
"The appointment bookings have fallen well below what we would usually expect. So despite our usual recruitment efforts and a larger donor base than this time last year, the result is fewer donations are coming in," Gatfield stressed.
Gatfield says that has a big cause and effect nationally for the healthcare sector.
"What this means is we've had to draw down our inventory. So yes, we are asking for those that are eligible to donate, or someone who has thought about donating or is considering it, to book that appointment," she stated with some urgency.
Blood donations are critical for the healthcare sector because the donations of blood and plasma, as well as platelets, support so many different areas of treatments.
"Whether it be trauma, surgeries, people going through cancer treatments, burn victims, people with auto-immune diseases, blood donations help all of these people. There are individuals that require blood and blood products on a regular basis to sustain life," Gatfield pointed out.
There is a nationwide call for new donors. Finding out if you're eligible to donate, and setting up a donation appointment, is a very simple process. You can visit Blood.ca, download the GiveBlood app or call 1-888-2-DONATE to set up an appointment and find out more about the process and what to expect.
