Local blood clinic looking to fill 96 vacant appointments this week
Posted Dec 28, 2017 02:15:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Christmas may be over but it's still a season to give.
This holiday season the Canadian Blood Services is reminding Canadians that blood is a free gift that could save a life and the need for blood is especially high this time of year.
Across the country there are still 18,000 appointments that need to be filled by January 6th.
This week alone the Bayers Road clinic has 96 appointments available.
Blood donations are always in high need over the holidays because donations are perishable and while many people take a break from their routines this week Peter MacDonald with Canadian Blood Services tells News 95.7 the need for blood never stops.
“For every donation we collect, donors provide three potential lifesaving gifts to a hospital patient,” he says. “Plasma we can freeze and it will last up to a year, red cells last 42 days, but platelets only last for seven days.”
People can make an appointment to donate by going to blood.ca or using the Canadian Blood Services app.
MacDonald also says that walk-ins are always welcome especially around this time of year, and says most people are in and out within an hour.
