Canadian Blood Services is asking Muskokans to roll up their sleeves and donate. CBS says there is a Canada-wide shortage of blood donations, and has upgraded its need to critical.
CBS Territory Manager for Muskoka, Elaine St. Pierre, says that means they need to collect around 50,000 units of blood in the country by the end of June.
St. Pierre says they are about 6,000 units short of where they need to be. She says it’s a bad situation, as hospitals use about 16,000 units every week. She says if this trend continues, it could start affecting hospital services and patients.
St. Pierre says a combination of bad winter weather and multiple storms this spring are contributing to the shortage. There are still around 30 appointments available for the Huntsville clinic, which is on June 26th.
Go to the Canadian Blood Services website to book an appointment, or to take an online quiz to see if you are eligible to donate. You can also call 1-888-2-DONATE.
There is also going to be a clinic in Bracebridge on July 31st, and in Gravenhurst on July 18th.