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Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood supply in all provinces and territories of Canada, outside of Quebec. The organization oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell program, the Marrow Network (formerly Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry), the What's Your Type program, the Partners for Life program, and is taking steps to increase transplant opportunities for patients by collecting and storing umbilical cord blood stem cells from Canadian donors. A separate organization, Héma-Québec, operates in the province of Quebec.

As of 2008, a team of 4,700 staff and over 17,000 volunteers help Canadian Blood Services operate 41 permanent collection sites, three bloodmobiles, eight OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network field sites and more than 22,000 donor clinics annually. It was created in 1998 as a successor to the Canadian Red Cross blood program and the Canadian Blood Agency, on recommendation of the Krever Commission. It took over the responsibilities of Canadian blood systems starting from September 26, 1998.

Canadian Blood Services collects approximately 850,000 units of blood annually and processes it into the components and products that are administered to thousands of patients each year through blood transfusions. In addition to donating whole blood, some locations also offer platelets and blood plasma donations.

While Canadian Blood Services is not a government agency, it does receive its funding from the provincial and territorial ministries of health, and is regulated by Health Canada. On August 12, 2008, Canadian Blood Services announced that it would work with the Canadian Council for Donation and Transplantation to significantly improve organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Canada. Canadian Blood Services received government funding of $35 million over five years to proceed with this new mandate.

There are several reasons why individuals may be deferred from donating blood, including intravenous drug use, living in the U.K. for certain periods of time, coming from an HIV-endemic country, as well HIV high risk activity.

Blood Collection Services Offered
Canadian Blood Services collection services vary across Canada but typical services include: whole blood collection, plasmapheresis, plateletpheresis, and stem cell and bone marrow collection and matching.

Whole blood collection is the shortest process of those listed above and at over 850,000 units collected per year, is the primary blood collection service offered by Canadian Blood Services. 488 mL (1 United States liquid pint) of blood is collected during a blood donation.

Basic Donor Eligibility Information
All Canadians over the age of 17 and under the age of 61 are eligible for first time donation. Repeat donors can continually donate up to the age of 71 without having to be screened and approved by a doctor. Each donor's health is checked before donation by verifying his or her weight is within the appropriate bracket (if between the ages of 17 and 23) and ensuring the donor has not had any recent surgeries or major dental work done. The donor's [hemoglobin] levels are then measured to ensure the donor's levels are within the "healthy" range. In women, normal hemoglobin ranges from 120 g/L to 160 g/L (12 g/dL to 16 g/dL). In men, normal hemoglobin levels range from 140 g/L to 180 g/L (14 g/dL to 18 g/dL).

Upon completion of the hemoglobin screening, donors then move on to complete a questionnaire both assisted and unassisted with a nurse. This works to screen out any high risk donors who may have contracted any assorted blood borne illnesses, espcially HIV/AIDS. During this stage the donor also has his or her temperature, heartbeat, and blood pressure levels measured to ensure that the donor is healthy.

Once a donor has completed their first donation, they will receive their blood donor card by mail within 6-8 weeks. On the front of the card is his or her blood type as well as the donor number. This card can be used to book future appointments, track total number of donations, and speed up the pre-donation screening process.

Reasons for Temporary or Indefinite Deferral
Minor Illnesses - if a donor is feeling unwell at the time of the donation, he or she will be asked to come back at a later time.

Drugs and Medications - some medications may be cause for temporary deferral. It is recommended that if a current donor begins taking a new medication, he or she should contact the blood services hotline prior to going to a clinic. The use of street drugs and narcotics will indefinitely result in a temporary deferral.

Dental Work - assorted dental work will have different recovery periods depending on the kind of surgery. Minor procedures will result in a temporary deferral of a day for the donor.

Low Hemoglobin Counts - as stated above, low hemoglobin counts are cause for deferral. Iron in the blood can fluctuate depending on diet, lifestyle, and other factors. A current donor may find that his or her levels are too low to donate one month and are back within regular range in the next.

Tattoos or Body Piercings - will cause a deferral of 6 months for a donor due to increased risk of [hepatitis] and other potential infections.

Diabetes - each donor with diabetes is treated differently depending on the medications and treatments that the donor is undergoing. Canadian Blood Services prefers if you call their hotline prior to donating.

Pregnancy - donors may not donate while pregnant or six months after giving birth.

HIV High Risk Activities - donors will be asked a series of confidential questions by a nurse in the pre-screening period of the donation process. Any donor who has participated in high-risk activities will result in a temporary deferral. Any man who is sexually active with other men cannot give blood in a period of 5 years (see MSM Ban below).

Exposure to Disease/Geographic Deferrals/False Reactive Test Results - exposure to any blood borne diseases are cause for deferral. Donors who have travelled outside of the country for an extended period of time may be ineligible to donate blood for a period of time. Donors who have travelled to foreign countries within the past year for vacations may also be ineligible depending on the destination. All of these questions are asked during the pre-screening examination.

Recent Major Surgery - if a donor has recently had major surgery, he or she should verify prior to donation (via the hotline) whether they are still eligible to donate.

Recent Vaccinations - donation eligibility is dependent on the type of vaccination and the time it was given.

Partners for Life Program
The Partners for Life program runs nationwide and is open to all corporate and community organizations. Once a group has joined as "Partners for Life", they are asked to make three commitments. First, a main contact is selected and is also tasked with the promotion of the program. Second, the organization collectively sets a pledge goal of donations for the year. Finally, partner corporations and organizations are asked to allow employees time off to donate during work hours.

Being a part of the Partners for Life program comes with some benefits including a certificate of membership, a certificate that recognizes the group as a whole, and being able to count how many donations your group has made thus far for the year. Pledge amounts can range anywhere from 15 units per year to over 5000 units per year collectively.

What's Your Type? Program
This is a community based blood typing program that takes place nationwide. The program was introduced mainly so that each person can have some kind of knowledge about their [blood type] in case they should ever need blood in an emergency. This way, the common donor blood O+ or O- do not have to be used in unnecessary situations.

Participants must be 14 or older, but those between 14 and 16 must have written parental consent. Many schools across Canada offer this program during class as a way of teaching blood types but also to educate students on their own blood types. The What's Your Type program is free.

One Match: Stem Cell and Marrow Network
Currently, this program is being targeted mostly to males aged 17 to 35 in Canada. The overall mission of the program is to provide a larger database to patients needing [stem cells] from a matching donor. Thus far, the program has created a network of around 11 million donors worldwide.

To join the program, a sample of the new participant's DNA is taken and used to identify whether or not they are a donor match for patients currently in need of bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cell cords, or cord blood.

Stem cell donation is a slightly more complex and lengthier process than just donating blood. There is some mild surgery that is often associated with the procedure and it can be painful (despite being under anaesthetic). Most donors will feel some pain and discomfort walking or performing regular tasks. However, the stem cells replenish themselves within 6 weeks and most donors are back to regular activity within a few days.

The program has also recently begun collecting cord blood from umbilical cords and placenta. This blood then goes into a network of donors similar to that of the one match network for stem cells. Donating your cord blood can be done post-delivery at a designated hospital at no cost.

MSM Ban
On May 22, 2013 Canadian Blood Services announced that the deferral period as prescribed and enforced by Health Canada for men who have had sex with men (MSM) would be decreased from a ban for "even once since 1977" to "five years from last MSM [sexual] activity" by the summer of 2013. The new policy came into effect on July 22, 2013.

Some countries, such as Britain, allow MSM donations after a 12 month deferral period, although other nations, such as the United States, maintain a complete lifetime ban.

Volunteer Network
The Canadian Blood Services relies on dedicated volunteers from the community to keep costs of running clinics low. Volunteer opportunities include positions for those who may be skilled in the medical field and those who are not. The clinic itself is a unit of paid nurses and health professionals that travel within the community to do daily collections. Volunteers from each community can participate by assisting with pre-donation and post-donation areas. Additionally, volunteers may also have the opportunity to raise awareness through "Sign Me Up" campaigns and one match stem cell swabbing events.

Board of Directors
The Canadian Blood Services is run by a board of 13 directors. This board is selected by Canada's provincial and territorial Minister of Health (excluding Quebec). The structure houses one director whom is elected as chair, four geographical representatives, two consumer and public representatives, and six representatives with a science or business background. Each representative serves for 4 years.

Current Chairs:

Ms. Leah Hollins, Chair

Mr. Robert H. Teskey, Consumer Interest Representative

Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka, Consumer Interest Representative

Dr. Christopher Carruthers, Medical Scientific, Technical, Business, and Public Health Representative

Mr. R. Wayne Gladstone, Medical Scientific, Technical, Business, and Public Health Representative

Dr. Gary Glavin, Medical Scientific, Technical, Business, and Public Health Representative

Dr. Henry J. Pankratz, Medical Scientific, Technical, Business, and Public Health Representative

Ms. Elaine Sibson, Medical Scientific, Technical, Business, and Public Health Representative

Ms. Suromitra Sanatani, Medical Scientific, Technical, Business, and Public Health Representative

Mr. Dunbar Russel, Regional Representative for Ontario

The Honourable Denis Losier, Regional Representative for Atlantic Canada

Mr. Craig Knight, Regional Representative for British Columbia and Yukon

Mr. Mike Shaw, Regional Representative for Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Nunavut