2 weeks of storms hits Atlantic Canada blood supply

More than half of scheduled blood clinics in Atlantic Canada in the last two weeks have been cancelled due to weather, and that’s having an impact on the blood supply.

Just this week, clinic closures cancelled 789 appointments in the region, more than all of last winter, as 24 of 46 scheduled clinics in the region were cancelled due to weather.

“There’s an immediate need right now for people to donate,” said Peter MacDonald, donor relations director for Atlantic region at Canadian Blood Services.

“It’s going to take us a few weeks to rebuild our local inventories to where they need to be.”

The region has been able to import blood from other parts of the country, but MacDonald noted other regions — B.C., Manitoba and Ontario — have been impacted by weather as well.

Asked about a labour dispute that shut down the clinic in Charlottetown for more than a year, MacDonald said planning for the closure of one clinic was easier than for a hard winter that can shut down clinics across the region.

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