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, and oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network (formerly Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry) 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. A team of 4,700 staff and 17,000 volunteers help Canadian Blood Services operate 43 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.
Canadian Blood Services is governed by an independent Board of Directors. Current directors include: Ms. Leah Hollins (Chair), Robert H. Teskey, Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka, Dr. Christopher Carruthers, Mr. Frank D. Jones Q.C., R. Wayne Gladstone, Dr. Gary Glavin, Shirley Raab FCA, Mr. Thomas Warner, Henry J. Pankratz FCA, The Honourable Denis Losier, Marilyn Robinson, and Joy Illington. The Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Blood Services is Dr. Graham Sher, and the Chief Operating Officer is Ian Mumford.
There are several reasons why individuals can 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.
Read more about Canadian Blood Services: MSM Ban, Blood Collection Services Offered
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