To date, 26,900 people have brought good habits to life

Montréal, Tuesday, July 12, 2005 – Since June 6, the date when the “This summer, bring good habits to life. Give blood. Give life.” campaign began, Héma-Québec has welcomed 26,900 donors at some 200 blood drives held throughout Québec.

“Now that we have reached the campaign’s halfway mark, we find that we are behind in the targets set for this summer, mainly due to June’s exceptionally hot weather, which caused many people to reduce their activities,” explains Mr. André Roch, Vice-President, Public Affairs. “However, we must keep in mind that there is a daily need for blood products on the part of recipients, regardless of the weather or vacation periods. These individuals rely on us, no matter what the circumstances.”

The campaign will continue until September 4, during which time Héma-Québec and its community partners will hold a number of blood drives, particularly at camping grounds and in shopping centres, in order to reach vacationers. Donors are also invited to give blood in the air-conditioned Globule blood donor centres located at Place Versailles and at 4045 Côte-Vertu Boulevard in Montréal, as well as at Place Laurier in Québec City.

Each and every blood donation is vital in that it can save up to four lives. Indeed, before being delivered to Québec hospitals, bags of blood collected by Héma-Québec are separated into various blood components: red blood cells, plasma, platelets and cryoprecipitate.

Since its inception in September 1998, Héma-Québec’s mission has been to efficiently provide adequate quantities of safe, optimal blood components, substitutes, human tissues and cord blood to meet the needs of all Quebeckers, and to provide and develop expertise and services, along with specialized and innovative products, in the fields of transfusion medicine and human tissue transplantation.

Give blood. Give life.