(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19) and Sheldon Spackman

inventory low

Blood donations urgently needed across Canada as summer looms

May 20, 2022 | 4:31 PM

Did you know that half of Canadians are eligible to donate blood, yet only 1-in-81 actually do?

The slow return to pre-pandemic life is hampering the efforts of Canadian Blood Services to procure enough supply for those who need the gift of a life-saving blood product.

The organization has issued a national call ahead of the May Long Weekend, and weeks ahead of Canada Day, for Canadians to help replenish inventory.

“We’ve seen that inventory decline by about 25 per cent since the start of April, and it does follow an increase in appointment cancellations and low attendance at donor centres across Canada,” says Mike Choi, associate director, donor relations with Canadian Blood Services.

“We’ve also experienced a 10 per cent increase in last minute or same-day cancellations, as well as missed appointments since mid-March. We’re attributing that to recent illnesses, isolation requirements as well as the lifting of restrictions. As we return to pre-pandemic life, with attending gatherings and such, blood donation just isn’t top of mind right now.”

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In Red Deer, there are 1,200 open appointments to fill between now and the end of June.

A total of 479 units of blood have been collected in Red Deer so far in May (as of the 16th), with 200 more appointments open just this month.

“We are grateful to donors for their support, but at the beginning of the pandemic we said the effort to ensure there’s enough blood to meet patient needs would be continuous like a marathon, not a sprint. We are now in a precarious situation as we emerge from the sixth wave of COVID-19,” says Rick Prinzen, chief supply chain officer.

“Given the uncertainty of future variants and what living with COVID-19 is going to look like, along with the increased need for donors over the summer months that are typically a challenging time for blood and plasma collections, patients rely on new and returning donors to show up and help us this week, next month and for months to come. Lives depend on it.”

A small group of regular donors is meeting the needs of the entire country, which is unsustainable, the organization adds.

To book an appointment to donate and join Canada’s Lifeline, download the GiveBlood app, call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or book now at blood.ca.

Red Deer’s blood donation centre is located at 5020 68 Street.