MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 2 , 2012
Community encouraged to roll up its sleeves before the long weekend
(LONDON, Ontario) – London Health Sciences Centre is pleased to announce it has already exceeded its initial blood donation target by 237% just halfway into its first year of the Canadian Blood Services’ “Partners for Life” program.
Staff, physicians, students and volunteers have donated 202 units of blood; more than double the initial 2012 goal of 85 units.
“I am extremely proud of the commitment our extraordinary group of care providers has made to helping replenish the blood supply that our critically ill patients rely upon,” says Bonnie Adamson, LHSC President and CEO. “Their outstanding support for this vital community service is just one more way we can continue to provide exceptional experiences for our patients.”
While LHSC has made tremendous progress in its blood donation targets, the need for blood is always high, particularly during the summer long weekends when the number of traumatic injuries tends to rise—requiring more blood. As an acute care hospital, LHSC cares for the most medically complex and critically ill patients in the region and having a stable blood supply is a key factor in being able to care for these patients. LHSC asks that all members of the community who are eligible to donate blood consider rolling up their sleeves.
“Blood is a very precious resource and we rely one hundred per cent on volunteer donors to maintain this vital link in our health care,” says Dr. Ian Chin-Yee, a hematologist at LHSC and head of the hospital’s blood bank.
“The increased number of road traumas in the summer can put a strain on the blood system,” says Judy Compton, Director of Donor & Clinic Services, Canadian Blood Services, Southern Ontario region.
“We need donors to help us maintain a constant supply of blood, especially when you consider that a single car accident victim may require up to 50 units of blood and blood products to survive. Donors make all the difference in the lives of patients—and their families.”
Partners for Life is a nationwide program designed for corporate and community organizations. The need for blood products in the city of London is ongoing, and patients undergoing treatment for illnesses and injuries such as cancer, surgery, and trauma depend on a stable supply of blood year round. Nearly every single blood donation collected in the London region is used to treat patients in the city.
About London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre has been in the forefront of medicine in Canada for 137 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children’s Hospital, South Street Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, two family medical centres, and two research institutes – Children’s Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, a joint research initiative with St. Joseph’s Health Care London. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 50 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital’s nearly 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca
- 30 -
For media inquiries contact:
Kelly Almond
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
London Health Sciences Centre
519-685-8500, pager 77129
After-hours assistance:
Call LHSC Switchboard at 519-685-8500 and ask to page the communication consultant on-call
Like us on Facebook at LHSC Canada, follow us on Twitter @LHSCCanada and watch us on YouTube at LHSCCanada
