National Blood Donor Week - Every 80 seconds, someone in Québec needs blood!

MONTRÉAL, June 10, 2024 /CNW/ - This National Blood Donor Week (June 10 to 16), Héma-Québec would like to warmly thank Quebecers for their ongoing commitment and generosity. National Blood Donor Week is the perfect time to shine the spotlight on the essential contributions made by donors, volunteers and Héma-Québec staff. Thanks to their dedication, the organization is able to collect the 1,000 donations it needs every day to meet the needs of the province's hospitals.

Summer often leads to a slowdown in donation appointments, but there is a critical need for blood products 365 days a year. That's why Héma-Québec is renewing its call for donations from people with type O+, O- and B- blood. Also, as summer vacation approaches, people with all blood types are encouraged to come out and support the cause. If you are a donor, or a person in good health who has never donated before, it's time to act now!

A number of blood product donation restrictions were lifted this year, so now is the perfect time for your first blood donation. People who have travelled to certain countries, including France and the United Kingdom, in the 1980s and 1990s can now give blood products, as potential exposure to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) has been removed from the donation exclusion criteria. More people living with diabetes are also now eligible to donate blood products. Along with these two changes, Héma-Québec began using gender-neutral questionnaires in 2022, opening the door for sexually diverse people to give. Are you newly eligible to donate? Book an appointment and come donate blood, plasma or platelets!

Several blood drives take place each week throughout Québec, and appointments can be booked at any time at one of Héma-Québec's donation centres. It's time to roll up your sleeves and save lives, because Quebecers' needs for blood and blood products never go on vacation!

To book an appointment, visit jedonne.hema-quebec.qc.ca or call 1-800-343-7264 (SANG). If you want to make sure you are eligible to donate before coming to a blood drive or donation centre, visit Héma-Québec's website or call Donor Services at 1-800-847?2525.

Héma-Québec's mission is to efficiently meet the needs of the Québec population for quality blood and other biological products of human origin. Héma-Québec has more than 1,600 employees, more than 200,000 donors of blood, stem cells, mother's milk and human tissues, and thousands of volunteers at blood collection sites. Every year, Héma-Québec delivers nearly 800,000 biological products of human origin to Québec's hospitals in order to meet patients' needs.

SOURCE Héma-Québec