Blood donor clinic starts Monday

The fall blood donor clinic is coming up this Monday and Tuesday (Sept. 25-26) at Fort Frances High School and Canadian Blood Services wants people to know it’s not too late to make an appointment.
CBS spokesperson Harvey Heather said yesterday that so far “the numbers are looking pretty good,” with 152 appointments booked for Monday and more than 200 for Tuesday (including a number of spots reserved for students).
“One thing we’re getting a bit concerned with is although we have a lot appointments booked, we’re finding, on average, anywhere from 50 to 70 people each day are not coming in for those appointments,” Heather noted.
“That becomes a concern since each unit of blood can help up to three people,” he stressed. “That can add up very quickly to 150-200 patients each day that may not get the blood that they need.
“We don’t want to browbeat anybody, of course, but we’d like to pass the word on that if someone can’t make their appointment, that they please find someone else to take their place, or call us and let us know so we can open up that appointment for other people,” Heather said.
“Walk-ins are encouraged because of that fact. Even though we may booked at the time, we can always use people to walk in and take those places, as well.”
Heather said interested donors can make an appointment prior to the two-day clinic by calling 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or by visiting www.blood.ca
The clinic will run Monday from 4:30-8:30 p.m. and again on Tuesday from noon-3 p.m. and 5-8:30 p.m.
CBS has set a two-day goal of nearly 400 donors (and at least 325 units of blood) for the fall clinic here.
Heather added CBS also would like to see 40-50 new donors out next week.
The spring blood clinic held back in late April drew 368 donors, with 323 units donated.
Heather clarified the number of donors does not always equal the number of units. On average, just under 15 percent of people who come out for the clinics are advised not to donate (either for their own safety or the safety of others).
CBS looks after 91 hospitals in Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario.
About 1,700 units of blood per week are needed to meet the demand, with CBS trying to keep enough on hand to supply each of these hospitals for four days.