By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
Prince George-based advocacy group Our Blood Counts is continuing its mission to get a plasma donation centre in northern B.C.
Canadian Blood Services – the charity that collects blood, plasma and organ and tissue donations throughout the country – shut down its Prince George donor centre in 2015, leaving northern B.C. residents with no way to donate blood at a nearby centre.
With most of B.C.’s blood and plasma donation centres clustered in the lower mainland, except for one plasma donation centre in Kelowna, Our Blood Counts decided to start a petition for a plasma donation centre in Prince George last year. To date, the petition has amassed over 1600 signatures, according to committee member Mark Karjaluoto.
Recently, the group began reaching out to municipal governments in the region – including Valemount and McBride. During a May 8th meeting, Valemount Councillor Pete Pearson moved to write a letter of support for Our Blood Counts. McBride Council received a letter from Our Blood Counts for information during its June 10th meeting.
This strategy helps build support from throughout the region, rather than just Prince George, Karjaluoto says. People from outlying communities often travel to the city for healthcare, school or other services, so they should be included in the population Canadian Blood Services considers when discussing where to build donation centres.
“What we’re trying to illustrate is that there are any number of communities in the northern interior that act in a very close relationship with Prince George,” Karjaluoto said. “We’re trying to point out that this isn’t just a Prince George thing, it’s a regional thing.”
Reaching out to municipalities has proven fruitful for the organization – according to Karjaluoto, their petition got about 100 more signatures after Quesnel City Council discussed a letter from Our Blood Counts. The petition gains a little more traction every time local officials discuss the need for a plasma donor centre, he said.
On top of that, the North Central Local Government Association – an advocacy group for elected officials in northern B.C. – endorsed supporting Our Blood Counts during their annual convention last month.
So far, Canadian Blood Services has not changed its position that Prince George does not have a large enough population to support a plasma donor centre. In a letter to Valemount Council, vice presidents of Canadian Blood Services Elizabeth Stucker and Ron Vezina said the charity does not have plans to establish a donor centre in Prince George.
“We review our national collections plans on an annual basis,” Stucker and Vezina wrote. “Our review considers a number of factors including labour and transportation costs, the distance and access to the nearest production site, and the need to operate an efficient blood system.”
They added that they are confident that the current collections system meets the demand for blood and plasma donations.
There are many ways to support Canadian Blood Services aside from donating plasma, Stucker and Vezina said. They pointed to financial donations or registering to become an organ or tissue donor as a way to support the charity from anywhere in Canada.
Karjaluoto agrees that people can and should support Canadian Blood Services however they can, but says Our Blood Counts will continue to advocate for a plasma donor centre in Prince George. In the meantime, he encourages people to donate blood or plasma when they visit cities this summer, and to mention the lack of a northern B.C. donation centre while they’re donating.
“We’re trying… to point out to Canadian Blood Services that we want to work with you, we want to help you,” Karjaluoto added. “While many of us are doing what they ask – to sign up for organ and tissue donation on their website – we’re saying that we can do more.”
