There will be two blood donor clinics in Prince Albert in the next 34 days. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Blood Donor Clinic

Blood donor clinics to return to Prince Albert in fall

Aug 31, 2021 | 2:00 PM

While a recent blood donor clinic scheduled for the Art Hauser Centre had to be cancelled, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) is already planning their next trip to Prince Albert. The city has apparently been looking forward to it, as spots for the next clinic are nearly gone.

Another blood donor clinic is scheduled for Sept. 20, but there’s already only one spot remaining in it. According to CBS, this is fairly typical of the people of Prince Albert.

“If one person would like to fill that, we’d greatly appreciate it,” said Lisa Beechinor, territory manager for CBS out of Saskatoon. “Prince Albert has been phenomenal community for us. They have been very engaged and are always willing to book an appointment and then book their next appointment.”

When donation clinics do come to the area, they tend to see a lot of familiar faces as people come out time and again. As such, they’ve already booked another donation clinic after September 20 on October 4 at the Art Hauser.

The pandemic slowed things down for clinics for a time, and some people may have been hesitant to return to a public setting with larger crowds. That, apparently, hasn’t stopped people from filling spots at clinics, however.

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“When COVID-19 first started we actually saw an increase in donors,” Beechinor said. “I think the reason for that was people felt very engaged that there was something they could do to help out. We have seen a decrease in donors as travel, gatherings, etc. come back into play. Donations aren’t top of mind anymore.”

Donations are very much top of mind for those who need them, however, and there are about 4.5 million people who need them every year in Canada and the United States. The need may arise for anyone from car crash victims to those with long-term illnesses.

“The need for blood is constant,” Beechinor said. “It’s especially true for Canadians that have conditions that require blood transfusions, such as cancer patients or people with blood disorders.”

The hope now is they can get back to a regular schedule in Prince Albert and book clinics more often. There will still be special protocols in place related to the pandemic for the next little while, including social distancing, temperature checks and mandatory mask use at all donation clinics.

CBS lists their inventory of blood supply online. No blood type has enough inventory to last more than 11 days.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP