A healthy blood reserve

Montréal, January 10, 2006 – Hundreds of volunteers from various partner organizations around Québec held more than 200 blood clinics during the Héma-Québec “Share a unique gift. Give blood. Give life.” holiday campaign, which ran from November 28, 2005 to January 6, 2006. Donors turned out in force, enabling Héma-Québec to maintain the blood reserve at very high levels.

Québec’s blood supplier has been working since the autumn to ensure the blood reserve is at optimal levels in anticipation of the Holiday Season, through the sustained commitment of organizing committees, blood donors, volunteers and employees. Even though the Holiday Campaign fell short of its initial goal of 31,000 donors, the 27,500 people who gave the gift of life enabled Héma-Québec to maintain, and even increase, the blood reserve.

“On behalf of blood product recipients, Héma-Québec thanks everyone who rallied to our cause during this time of celebration and sharing,” said Dr. Francine Décary, Chief Executive Officer of Héma Québec. “The generosity of blood donors, the participation of volunteers and partner organizations as well as support from the media made it possible to share the unique gift of health with patients,” she added.

Each year, on average, Héma-Québec welcomes more than 300,000 blood donors and delivers some 400,000 units of blood products to hospitals to meet the needs of patients.

Héma-Québec was created in September 1998 to efficiently provide adequate quantities of safe, optimal blood components, substitutes, human tissues and cord blood to meet the needs of all Quebecers; and provide and develop expertise along with specialized and innovative services and products in the fields of transfusion medicine and human tissue transplantation

Give blood. Give life.

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