BHB and Red Cross Call For Blood Donors in May

Donations are needed to ensure Bermuda can cope with any unexpected emergencies

Bermuda Hospitals Board and Bermuda Red Cross Blood Donor Centre are today making an urgent call for donors, especially people who have not donated blood before or who may have lapsed from the donor list.

Dr. Betsie Lombard, Medical Director of the Blood Transfusion Service and Consultant Haematologist, says: “If our blood stocks become low, this would be unacceptable in the event of a road accident or unexpected need for blood. We are appealing especially to people who haven’t donated before, or who may be a ‘lapsed’ donor. Our current donors are true heroes and come regularly to donate, but unless we grow our donor base we are going to struggle to meet Bermuda’s needs over the long term.”

Donors must be over 18 and in good health. Currently, people who spent more than six months between 1980 to 1996 in the UK are unable to donate due to US advice on potential risks related to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

“We are sure there are people who wish to give back to the community and might not have thought of donating blood before. It is a gift that costs you no money and only takes about 30 minutes. We encourage anyone interested to call us directly and book a time to donate. There are still many open spots in May. You could be saving the life of someone you know or love.”

Anyone interested in donating blood, should contact Sue de Vertieul or Celia O’Connel at the Red Cross Donor Centre at 236-5067.

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