By Spencer Sterritt

Nanaimo blood donation clinics most popular on Vancouver Island

Dec 13, 2018 | 4:58 PM

NANAIMO — Generous community spirit means Nanaimo’s blood donor clinics are the most frequently visited on Vancouver Island and one of the most popular across the province.

Typically a clinic is held every once every two-or-three months. But in Nanaimo, the team of nurses who host clinics along the island’s east coast visit more than once a month.

“It’s quite a successful clinic and it’s quite high-frequency for any blood donor drive we have in the province,” territory manager Ann Chabert with Canadian Blood Services told NanaimoNewsNOW.

The clinics often run for three days at a time, bringing in close to 300 donors and 150 litres of blood during that span.

Chabert said the Nanaimo clinics are incredibly important for keeping the blood supply used across Canada at stable levels, especially during the holiday season which sees an increase in car accidents.

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“A blood donor recipient told me once ‘The best surgeons in the world could have saved my life it weren’t for the blood.’”

An extra donation date was added for Nanaimo, giving donors another chance during the holiday season to give the gift of life.

Anyone eligible can visit the Bowen Park Auditorium on Saturday, Dec. 22 from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Chabert said she’s confident any blood donated would be used within five days, as hospitals around the country grapple with an increase in car accidents due to slick, busy roads in the holiday season.

“You will actually save a life at any hospital in the country.”

You can register to donate online or by phone.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit