Book an appointment and donate 'Red' in honour of Canadian Forces

Canadian Blood Services
News Release

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North Bay - With a long and interwoven history between war and modern blood donation stretching back decades to the Second World War, Canadian Blood Services and military families are joining together to encourage everyone to donate red from November 10th to December 4th in honour of the men and women of Canadian Forces currently engaged in military activities throughout the world.

The history of Canada’s blood system is intertwined with Canada’s military forces. The Second World War and its unprecedented demand for blood necessitated the development of the country’s first large scale blood donation efforts. From this initial effort, the system we know today, now overseen by Canadian Blood Services, was developed.

That was then and this is now.

Although Canadian blood donors remain amongst the most dedicated in the world, our donor base is no longer growing to keep up with demand - that means a small number of Canadians are meeting the entire country's increasing needs. Across the country, 1,500 new donors are needed every week to meet demand.

It's estimated that 1 out of 2 Canadians is eligible to donate blood. Last year 1 in 60 actually did. Your support is needed now, as patient need for blood is higher than the current supply.

Call 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) today to book an appointment, to learn more about eligibility requirements, or to find your nearest blood donor clinic. You can also visit blood.ca.

“Every day, thousands of Canadian Forces representatives help save lives in Canada and around the world. Many Canadians have chosen to wear red on Fridays as a tribute to our troops and their sacrifices. We’re asking Canadians to take that to the next level and donate ‘red’ blood that is and save lives in honour of our men and women in uniform,” says Steve Tipman, Director Donor and Clinic Services, North Eastern Ontario & Nunavut, Canadian Blood Services.

“Please honour Canadian Forces personnel and support patients by donating blood this month.”

Clinic Information
Date: December 3, 2008
Location: Elks Lodge, Main Hall, 325 Elks Lane
Time: from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

And

Date: December 4, 2008
Location: Elks Lodge, Main Hall, 325 Elks Lane
Time: from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Last month’s call to action has been met with a phenomenal response from both our regular donors as well as many new and returning donors. We have seen entire communities come out to support our drive for more donors, and have seen our appointment bookings increase exponentially. For this, we say: “THANK YOU!”

As a result of the promising response we’ve seen, our clinics have been much busier than usual and this has unfortunately often created longer wait times. Please know that we are trying our very best to collect your blood in the safest and most efficient way possible. It is our goal to see you get through the clinic as quickly as we can manage during this busy time.

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