Brampton blood plasma donors needed to help fill nationwide shortage
Published July 8, 2022 at 4:46 pm
A blood plasma drive in Brampton is aiming to help top up Canada’s emergency supply as Canadian Blood Services grapples with one of the worst shortages of donors in decades.
This Friday and Saturday (July 8 and July 9), Canadian Blood Services is holding a drive at the Brampton plasma donor centre at 8255 Financial Dr.
Canadian Blood Services says it lost 31,000 blood donors throughout the pandemic, resulting in the smallest donor base in a decade.
And with the summer season impacting regular and consistent donations, a partnership blood drive with not-for-profit group Dr. Shree Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari (DSNDP) is aiming to help reduce the nationwide shortage.
RELATED: Blood donations in Mississauga and Brampton at an all-time low
Canadian Blood Services says only 55 per cent of blood contains plasma, and there is a growing number of patients in Canada who rely on medical plasma for treatments of a variety of life threatening, chronic and genetic conditions, including cancer, severe burns, and immune deficiencies.
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Lilet Raffinan, spokesperson for the Brampton Plasma Centre, says there’s a need for 100,000 units of blood, as well as plasma donors this year to meet the demand, as the requirement for plasma is constant and urgent “because some patients may need it only once, but others need it for a lifetime.”
Residents can help out by calling 1-888-2-DONATE or visit blood.ca for more information or to make an appointment.
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