Canadian Blood Services calling for more donations after weather cancels appointments

Winter storms and seasonal illness have disrupted blood collections, prompting an urgent call for donors. Damian Smith reports.

Canadian Blood Services across the country, including Regina, is calling for support as severe winter weather has impacted the quantity of donations in recent weeks.

Winter weather and seasonal illness have reduced blood and plasma donations across the country, forcing some collection appointments to be cancelled and leaving fewer donations than expected.

Canadian Blood Services says major storms and extreme cold disrupted regular collections in several regions this week, contributing to a shortfall.

“Hospitals have the blood they need today, but that could change if we are not able to collect a consistent supply,” said Ron Vezina, vice president of donor engagement for Canadian Blood Services in a news release on Wednesday. “In the last six days alone, we have collected 1,500 fewer donations than we were counting on, because severe weather forced cancellations.”

He said 16 donation events were cancelled in January due to poor road conditions and illness, while noting that because blood is perishable, daily donations are needed to meet hospital demand and maintain emergency readiness.

“Somebody who’s undergoing cancer treatments or leukemia who’s been in a tragic accident or a life changing emergency, often is the case that what they’re going through is not voluntary,” said Aaron Barlow, the community development manager of Canadian Blood Services.

On Thursday, Regina’s location was quieter than usual, but donors like Sarah Dunn were there to put in their time.

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“They’re very kind about it, they don’t just like to jab you and try to hurt you,” she said, on-site for her 13th donation. “It’s very quick and easy, and my bleeding time was less than five minutes today.”

The blood pump typically takes a total of eight minutes. Donors are usually in and out of the door in less than an hour.

“Once I did it [for the first time], it was actually awesome. I felt really good, it’s a really good thing to do. I have O-positive blood, so it’s pretty universal which is awesome,” Dunn said.

Carlo Palazzo, who has an appointment scheduled next week, has donated blood 57 times since 2008. He first donated when he worked for CBS.

“I had never donated blood before and of course, that question came up during the interview, and I did say, ‘If I do get this position, I will start donating blood.” he said.

In the past three years, he’s also made it a family event, rounding up his siblings for the cause.

“I really like to see the importance and the stories that I became aware of. It really puts the focus on how important donating blood is and I took it to heart,” he said.

By 2030, CBS is calling for one million new donors, and demand for products derived from plasma are anticipated to rise by 50 per cent.

“An hour can make a lifesaving difference to a patient in need, and again, for somebody who’s undergoing these things, their course of treatment is not voluntary,” Barlow said. “It’s what they need to do to improve their quality of life, to save their lives.”

O-negative blood is in particularly high demand because it can be given to patients of any blood type. It is often used in emergency situations when there is no time to determine a patient’s blood type.