Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is on the hunt for a new location in Moose Jaw in which to operate its mobile blood donor clinics.
CBS normally sets up its mobile blood clinic at the Golden Nugget Centre on the Exhibition Grounds, but has begun the process of performing site visits throughout the community for a more suitable location, explained spokesman Aaron Barlow. CBS officials have not found a new site yet, which means the clinics will remain at the Golden Nugget Centre for the foreseeable future.
“Internet connectivity is vital to the efficiency for the operation of a mobile blood donor centre. Now we’re looking for better sites to optimize this,” he said, acknowledging that the centre does not meet its wireless needs.
Canadian Blood Services will be at the Exhibition Grounds on Tuesday, Aug. 6 as part of its regular visit to Moose Jaw. The organization normally needs 200 individual donors to come give blood, Barlow said. As of Aug. 2, there were still 42 appointment spots that needed to be filled.
“Moose Jaw has always been a really, really big supporter of Canadian Blood Services and our mobile donor centres when we visit,” he continued. “We’re always successful when we visit.”
A successful clinic, in the eyes of Barlow, is one where the mobile donor centre is full with appointments, where people honour their appointments and where they schedule their next appointment.
The average donor is able to give 450 millilitres of blood during one visit, or about half of a one-litre Coke bottle. Theoretically, if all 200 Moose Jaw donors were able to give, they would provide around 90 litres of life-giving liquid.
However, Barlow pointed out there are usually variables with donations and donors. Sometimes not all 200 will show up, or some will not be able to give that evening for various reasons.
For the people who do show up and can give, their blood is used in several ways, he continued. For example, eight donors are required to support someone going through leukemia treatments; five donors are necessary to help someone facing cancer; and 50 donors are required to support someone in a car accident.
“We’re always grateful for what we get from the community,” added Barlow.
All eligible donors are encouraged to make an appointment to give blood. This can be done through blood.ca, by calling 1-888-2DONATE, or by downloading the GiveBlood app.
