Roll up those sleeves: more blood donations wanted to ring in the new year
Clinic cancellations, unfilled appointments pose a challenge for building blood inventory in N.S.
With all its revelry and resolutions, Canadian Blood Services says New Year's Eve can also bring a high demand for blood. Yet this is one of the slowest times of the year for donations.
About half of the appointments available for Nova Scotians to give blood this week went unfilled, making it a challenge for Canadian Blood Services to ramp up its inventory for hospitals.
Wintry weather puts chill on donations
"It's usual this week, between Christmas and New Year's, that our blood clinics run to about 50 to 60 per cent of booked appointments," said Peter MacDonald, director of donor relations for Atlantic Canada.
But MacDonald said those unfilled appointments were compounded by clinic cancellations, thanks to snowstorms across the region two weeks before Christmas that put Canadian Blood Services 25 per cent behind their target for blood collection in Atlantic Canada.
Instead of collecting 1,600 units of blood during the week of Dec. 12 this year, weather-related clinic closures in Halifax, Fredericton, Moncton, Charlottetown and St. John's meant only 1,200 units of blood were collected.
- December bad month for blood donations nation-wide
- Donations fell during July, August during summer 2016
"Leading into the holidays we work to build the inventory because the week between Christmas and New Year's traditionally has lesser attendance," said MacDonald.
"I think it's that people are occupied with other activities and they're out of their regular routine. It also speaks to the fact that we're so reliant on such a small percentage of the population."
Donations slow, hospital demand doesn't
MacDonald said clinic cancellations and unfilled appointments have not compromised patient care, but not being able to build an inventory leaves Canadian Blood Services with a challenge because hospital demand remains unchanged.
Joan MacLeod, blood transfusion technical manager for Nova Scotia Health Authority's central zone, said this year Atlantic Canada had a high demand for blood transfusions compared to the rest of the county.
She said there was also a higher demand for blood products over this Christmas holiday compared to previous years.
Where to give before and after New Year's
On New Year's Eve, Canadian Blood Services' Bayers Road clinic is open from 8:30 a.m.to 12:30 p.m. The blood clinic is regularly open from Monday to Saturday.
There is also a mobile blood clinic that travels across the province. Next week it will be in Sackville, Pictou, Stellarton, New Glasgow and Hammonds Plains.
A few stats:
- One in every two Canadians is eligible to donate blood
- Less than four percent of Canadians are active blood donors
- 52% of Canadians say they or a family member have needed blood or blood products
"There is still time to put a little joy back into somebody's holidays and maybe if you're looking for a New Year's resolution this is a good one to make," MacDonald said.
"Not only to come and give blood this week or next week, but to make it a regular part of your routine."
Bookings can be made online at blood.ca or through Canadian Blood Services' GiveBlood app.