While many elective surgeries and other non-emergency procedures were cancelled recently due to the pandemic, that doesn't mean the need for blood donations has gone down. 

While some blood donor clinics in Central Alberta had to be cancelled, the main Canadian Blood Services (CBS) clinic in Red Deer is still open and taking appointments. 

Associate Director of Donor Relations with CBS Jennifer Gretzan-Melnichuk says only healthy people are able to donate blood anyway, and they've added some new measurements in light of the pandemic.

 

New social distancing measures put in place at the Red Deer blood donor clinic ensures that donors waiting to give blood are seated at least 2m from each other. Photos courtesy of Canadian Blood Services.

"Only healthy people are eligible to donate blood, so all of our donors are screened for any symptoms of illnesses. In addition to our regular routine cleaning and infection control practices, in light of the recent developments with COVID-19 we've introduced some new measures. We've introduced some enhanced cleaning measures sin our donor centres, physical distancing measures to better protect anyone that comes through the doors, including donors, volunteers and staff. And we've introduced a wellness station at the front of ur donor centres, so anyone coming int to the donor centres needs to answer some questions about their recent travel history as well as if they are experiencing any symptoms, and if they are they will be turned away and asked to donate at a later time." 

Gretzan-Melnichuk says although they had to cancel some of their mobile clinics, their main office in Red Deer is still accepting donations, by appointment only.

"In terms of blood donations in Central Alberta, it really varies from town to town. So we have had to cancel some of our blood donation clinics. Our main donation centre in Red Deer is still operating 5 days a week as it normally would have, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3 until 7 pm, Fridays and Saturday from 9 am until 1 pm. Right now, to help us accommodate those physical distancing measures, we are only welcoming people with blood donation appointments, not walk-ins. So I really encourage people if they are wanting to donate blood, to go online to Blood.ca, download our GiveBlood app, or give us a call at 1-888-2Donate to book an appointment to donate. And one thing to remember as well is this effort is a marathon, not a sprint. Blood donation is needed every day to treat regular, routine incidences like surgeries or cancer treatment, so that need for blood is constant." 

The next blood donor clinic in Lacombe will be at the LMC on Monday, May 25th.

For more information on how to book an appointment, you can click here to go to Blood.ca