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Call for new blood donors to help over the holidays

Wednesday 23 December 2020: The Bermuda Blood Donor Centre team is asking people to give the gift of life this Christmas and consider becoming a blood or apheresis donor, even if they have not donated before. As an added Christmas bonus, people donating blood in December get a free gift of chocolate, donated to the Blood Donor Centre by BGA Wholesale Distributor.

Christmas is usually a busy social time for people, impacting the number of available donors. The pandemic, however, has brought new challenges, with people in quarantine or isolation. A number of donors have been unable to donate as usual due to exposures, travel or returning family members from overseas that require them to quarantine.

Lucy Correia, Nurse Phlebotomist, comments: “Our donors have been phenomenal throughout the pandemic, continuing to donate regularly. However, with positive cases going up every day, more and more people are being impacted either through a positive test or a precautionary quarantine. Once someone is in quarantine, they cannot donate for at least 14 days. This is reducing our number of available donors, and cancellations are frequently at short notice as new positive cases come to light.

Ms Correia adds: “We hope people closely follow government guidance on masking and avoiding the three C’s of crowded places, close-contact settings and confined and enclosed spaces. It can save lives, prevent quarantines and for us this means people can safely donate. To help us through the season safely we are asking anyone who may not have donated before to seriously consider helping out this season. All our blood is from voluntary local donations – we rely on this to save lives and help treat people with conditions such as cancer and sickle cell anaemia. Please help us save lives this Christmas and New year and donate blood.”

To make an appointment, call 236-5067 or email blood.donor@bhb.bm. Click here to visit the Bermuda Blood Donor Page and read details about donor eligibility.

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Notes to Editors
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is a quango (quasi autonomous non-governmental organisation) established under the Bermuda Hospitals Board Act, 1970. It has a Bermuda Government-approved Board and a Chief Executive Officer, responsible for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. At the heart of both organisations is high-quality care to all patients.

With approximately 1,700 employees, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is Bermuda's second largest employer. King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute are the only healthcare organisations in Bermuda accredited by Accreditation Canada, an independent organisation whose role is to help hospitals examine and improve the quality of care and service they provide to their clients. In addition to providing an extensive list of services for the community, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is part of a referral network that includes some of the world's leading specialist hospitals.

For more information, please visit www.bermudahospitals.bm or contact the Bermuda Hospitals Board Public Relations Department at publicrelations@bhb.bm.