Those who are first at a traumatic scene are also first in line to help Canadian Blood Services (CBS) reach its goal of building a long-term sustainable donor base.
The organization says it needs to add 450 donors every day – just about double what it currently counts – to meet the growing need for blood and plasma across the country.
To raise awareness of the initiative, it launched on Tuesday the “450 Challenge” with the help of front-line workers.
“They see the need for blood, so it’s really important for us to have them here supporting us,” CBS spokesperson Charlene Hargreaves told CTV News Edmonton.
CBS is aiming to count 12,000 donations by the end of January. To do its part, Edmonton needs to count 5,300 donations.
“It doesn’t take more than an hour to donate blood, and you’re only in the chair for about five to 10 minutes. …