Canadian Blood Services asks Calgarians to fill hundreds of open appointments

Canadian Blood Services is calling on Calgarians to donate blood as blood bank levels dip.

Shamus Neeson, territory manager for Canadian Blood Services, said Calgary has 534 appointments that need to be filled to meet inventory levels for the rest of July. Neeson said the levels are so low that it’s getting to the point where staff are getting “a little concerned.”

“Because of the summer and everyone’s rushing to go to patios, camping or holidays, the amount of regular donors across Canada have taken a slight dip,” he told Global News.

“We’re asking people to remember that every minute of every day someone in Canada will need blood. We’re encouraging people to donate blood, whether or not it’s their first time or their 101st time. We need them regardless.”

Neeson said the majority of Canadians were never asked to donate blood, even if they know the blood bank is very important for the health care system. Thousands of Canadians rely on blood and blood products every day, he said.

“We need these people to donate blood. … When you look at Calgary, we’ve got a million people here, and if half of them donated blood once a year we would be in a much different scenario than we are at right now.”

In Edmonton, the need is more than twice that of Calgary, with CBS saying it needs nearly 1,300 donations to meet sufficient needs for the rest of July. There is specific need for types O-negative and O-positive, B-negative, as well as A-positive and A-negative, the organization said.

Those interested in donating blood can visit the Canadian Blood Services website to learn more.