Members of the Niagara Health System team are doing their part to help the Canadian Blood Services Wrap It Up Red this holiday season. And we’re hoping Niagara residents will do the same.
NHS is a Partner For Life with Canadian Blood Services, which provides our team with an opportunity to show our commitment to caring for others and saving lives by donating blood.
During the Wrap It Up Red campaign, which runs in December, we’ve been encouraging our staff, physicians and volunteers to donate as part of the NHS team. Special clinics are being held for our team and their families and friends in December. Our goal is to obtain 100 units of blood for Canadian Blood Services.
“The need for blood is ongoing, and patients who are treated for such things as cancer, surgery and trauma depend on a stable supply of blood year-round,” says Monica Hlywka, the NHS Partners For Life champion and Regional Educator of Medical Surgical In-patient units, Endoscopy and Ambulatory clinics. “The NHS has transfused more than 6,500 units of blood to our patient this year. Some of these episodes involved emergency transfusion of multiple blood products to one person, which is why Partners for Life organizations have the power to save lives.”
Michael Betel, Director of Donor Relations, South Central Ontario at Canadian Blood Services, added: “Collecting blood during the holiday season can be challenging as many donors are travelling or are busy with family. Donating blood before or after the holidays helps ensure patients will have the blood they need, when they need it. You will be giving them a gift that can’t be bought, and one that will make their holiday season truly unforgettable.”
This December, more than 125,000 appointments will need to be filled. To book an appointment, download the GiveBlood app or visit blood.ca.
There are multiple ways Canadians can give life this holiday season and help ensure other families are able to spend time with their loved ones:
- Make an appointment to donate blood.
- Register on the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network.
- Register with your provincial authority to be an organ and tissue donor.
- Consider donating cord blood to national public cord blood bank.
Quick Facts from Canadian Blood Services:
- Approximately 1 in 2 Canadians are eligible to give blood. Last year, 1 in 60 Canadians actually did.
- Canadian Blood Services needs about 170,000 additional donors per year to maintain the national blood supply.
- At any given time there are hundreds of Canadians searching for a stem cell donor.
- More than 4,500 people are waiting for organ transplants in Canada today; however, only a fraction of Canadians are registered to donate.
MEDIA CONTACTS
NIAGARA HEALTH SYSTEM: Steven Gallagher, Communications Specialist, 905-378-4647, ext. 43879; email steven.gallagher@niagarahealth.on.ca
CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES: National Media Line: 1-877-709-7773 or media@blood.ca
