Need for blood donations greater than it's ever been in the past decade: Canadian Blood Services

There is a growing demand for blood donations.

In Halifax, only about 70 per cent of appointments are getting filled, which is lower than the national average.

"The need for blood today is greater than it's ever been in the past decade, so we really need more people to come on out and help donate and support the cause," said Krysta Hankowski, the community development manager at Canadian Blood Services in Halifax.

There are two main reasons why the demand is higher.

"One is Canada has both an aging and a growing population, and combine that with we're seeing more surgeries and treatments that require blood and blood products," said Hankowski.

While there has been a slight increase in the number of donors as the population climbs, it's still not enough to keep up with demand.

"Every day here in our donor centre – we're open six days a week – we need 100 people to come in and give. So it's a lot of people we need, and that's just for blood. That's not even counting our plasma and platelets."

Having a sufficient supply of blood donations is critical for the health-care system.

"They're the foundation for a lot of treatments we provide," said Dr. Jason Quinn, director of blood transfusion services for Nova Scotia Health's central zone. "Obstetrical care, surgical care, chemotherapy, broader cancer care, all rely on the availability of blood products."

He said without that availability, it wouldn't be possible to do these procedures.

Quinn said the QEII Health Sciences Centre has 220 units of blood on hand at all times, while the Nova Scotia Health central zone has just short of 300 units of red blood cells.

Canadian Blood Services is putting a call out for donors, especially now during summer.

"Summer is always a challenge," said Hankowski.

She said some regular donors are away on vacation, while potential new donors may not be thinking of donating – all at a time when more donations are needed.

A person donates blood. (Source: Stephanie Tsicos/CTV News Atlantic)

Canadian Blood Services does have a number of loyal donors, including Susie Quackenbush who made her 75th donation Wednesday.

She's been giving blood since she was in university, but it's become more meaningful in recent years.

"I have had two siblings battle cancer, and have had blood transfusions," said Quackenbush.

The blood type most needed right now is O-negative -- which is what Tristan Smith has. He made his 49th donation Wednesday.

"I make it a regular part of my life," said Smith. "I'm lucky I work in the building, and it feels good to donate, and at any time of the year, it's always needed. Certainly, my blood type specifically."

More O-negative blood is used in hospitals than any other type.

"Hospitals use about 13 per cent of O-negative blood, but it's only seven per cent of the population, so we constantly need more," said Hankowski.

Of the approximately open 2,400 appointments for July, only 1,000 have been filled, leaving more than half of the slots available.

"Because the need is rising faster than what we even anticipated, we can't just rely on our loyal donors that have been here because they can only give so many times. The way that we're going to fix and solve this problem is by getting new people or people who haven't been in a while, to come in and donate," said Hankowski.