June 14, 2010.pdf - Watrous Heritage Centre

16 • MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2010 THE WATROUS MANITOU
By Daniel Bushman
TWM
Youth are the focus of
a global demand that is
being pushed to the forefront
this week as the
need for new blood is required
around the world.
Those donors along
with others are being
given a big thumbs up
for their efforts during
National Blood Donor
Week, and World Blood
Donor Day, both going
this week.
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Recognizing the efforts of local blood donors
Manager of donor services
for Saskatchewan
Glenda Kolynchuk-Simpson
is hoping that along
with those already deciding
to donate, more youth
are encouraged to make
that decision.
Canadian Blood Services
community development
coordinator for
rural areas Pat Young said
as the nation’s population
gets older, they need the
youth to help fill in. “We
need to get a lot of new
young donors to keep the
donor base up.”
That was the case
in Watrous last year as
graduating student Melanie
Deneiko took on
the task of getting more
people to donate. A program
called Assignment:
saving lives is offered by
Canadian Blood Services
with an opportunity not
only to collect blood but
also to have a chance to
win a bursary for postsecondary
education.
Young said Deneiko
signed up for the program
and had to recruit
a minimum of 25 blood
donors during the summer
months and have
them donate. Deneiko
was able to bring in current
donors, new donors
and people who had previously
donated but had not
recently given blood.
Because of that effort,
she was entered in for a
bursary and later became
a recipient of one.
“It is very important.
She brought in people and
helped to meet the quota.”
In fact, CBS had over 100
per cent collection during
that time.
“It is an incentive to
get young people to come
out too.”
Young said another initiative
is available this
year and that is to bleed
green. Donors who attend
clinics like the ones that
will be held in Watrous
Aug. 3 and then again Oct.
27 can have their name entered
in to win Saskatchewan
Roughrider tickets.
With the generation
shift, a demographic
movement will take place
that will have a two-fold
effect on the blood supply:
more blood will be required
and fewer donors
will be available.
Some of the most loyal
donors, according to Canadian
Blood Services, are
those aged 45 to 54 and
last year the average age
of a donor was 41. Donors
older than 50 accounted
for 30 per cent of all whole
blood donations.
While people can begin
donating blood when they
turn 17, on average, that
youth category donates
1.62 times a year compared
to 2.18 times for
older groups.
Last year 5.3 per cent of
eligible 17 to 24 year olds
donated blood compared
to about 3.4 per cent of
the overall eligible population
in Canada.
Of the over 422,000
donors in the country last
year, more than 85,500
were aged 17 to 24 and account
for 20 per cent of
the donors in the country.
Young said the idea is
to get youth interested in
donating when they are in
high school. As students
leave for post-secondary
school, they can donate
there and then when they
return to small towns it
is almost like coming full
circle.
Kolynchuk-Simpson
said, “National Blood
Donor Week is our opportunity
to show appreciation
for the generous Canadians
who donate blood,
plasma, platelets and
stem cells, and to let them
know how much their donation
matters.”
On a more global picture,
over 80 million units
of blood are donated
every year, with just 38
per cent being collected
in developing countries
where 82 per cent of the
global population live.
World Blood Donor Day,
which takes place today
(June 14), has been dedicated
to those who voluntarily
donate blood. Like
National Blood Donor
Week, it aims to recognize
voluntary blood donors
who are the foundation of
a safe blood supply.
The day also coincides
with the birth date of
Karl Landsteiner, a pioneer
of transfusion
medicine. This year, Barcelona,
Spain hosts the
world event.
Between National
Blood Donor Week and the
end of August, Canadian
Blood Services needs
23,174 donors to give blood
in the province.
The blood is used every
day to treat patients with
bleeding disorders, individuals
undergoing
surgery, transplant recipients,
cancer patients,
newborn babies, trauma
patients such as motor
collision victims and
others.