By rdnewsNOW staff

Urgent need for blood across Canada, including Red Deer, continues

Mar 6, 2018 | 5:13 AM

OTTAWA- Canadian Blood Services continues to urge eligible Canadians to give blood as the national inventory and days on hand of several blood groups remain at critically low levels.

Approximately 10,000 donations are still urgently needed by March 10 to continue to meet patients’ needs this spring.

In Red Deer, 185 appointments are still available.   

“We’ve had an increase in donations across Canada since February 20 when we urged 35,000 new and returning donors to give blood,” says Rick Prinzen, Canadian Blood Services’ chief supply chain officer. “We’re pleased collections in many areas have improved, but floods in Ontario and a late snowfall in B.C. hampered our efforts to replenish the national blood supply to levels we need. With less than a week to go in our urgent call for blood donors, we still have thousands of open appointments to donate blood.”

Given its short shelf life, the need for blood is constant.

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Cancer patients, accident victims and people with blood disorders rely on blood transfusions every day.

More regular donors are needed to maintain a strong national inventory of blood and blood products.

Less than four per cent of eligible donors give blood each year.

Making an appointment to donate has never been easier.

Visit blood.ca, download our GiveBlood app or call 1-888-2-DONATE and find a nearby donation site.

Walk in appointments are also available at all locations.

(Gary McKinnon)