The story from Chad Skelton of the Vancouver Sun, published in The Citizen this week, about blood donor rates across B.C. should make Prince George residents proud.
Canadian Blood Services provided the provincial donor rates to the Vancouver Sun by area code and three of Prince George's four area codes were among the highest donor rates in the province.
Residents in Prince George and Kelowna are more likely to donate blood than anywhere in B.C, at a rate twice that of the provincial average.
"The high rates in Prince George and Kelowna are somewhat surprising given that, while both cities have permanent blood clinics, their hours aren't all that convenient," Skelton wrote. "The Kelowna clinic is only open three days a week, plus every other Saturday, while the clinic in Prince George is only open two days a week. In contrast, the Oak Street clinic in Vancouver is open six days a week."
Ed Yee, director of supply chain operations for B.C. and Yukon for Canadian Blood Services, suggests that it's easier for residents in smaller cities like Kelowna and Prince George to get to the clinic and that the agency has an easier time getting people's attention in rural areas.
He's right on both points.
The donation clinics in both Kelowna and Prince George are on busy streets, close to both major residential neighbourhoods as well as commercial and retail developments. With fewer major streets in both cities compared to Vancouver, residents are more likely to drive on those streets, see the location as they pass and think "I should go and give blood."
Being top of mind counts and the situation in Vancouver proves it.
As Skelton points out, the highest blood donor rates in Vancouver are around Cambie Street, right next to the Oak Street clniic, and in Dunsmuir, a downtown neighbourhood where Canadian Blood Services operates a three-day-a-week clinic.
Furthermore, in smaller communities like Prince George and Kelowna, a blood donor challenge between the two cities always draws some media coverage, even on a busy news day, whether it's a photography, a short story or both, as does emergency requests for donations. There's no doubt that Canadian Blood Services gets a fraction of the media attention in Greater Vancouver that it enjoys in the Interior. With so many more stories and so many more sources for news, a plea from Canadian Blood Services for donations disappears in the hustle and bustle of the big city.
Yee talks in the story about making it easier and more convenient for people to give blood, yet it may be the relative inconvenience of giving blood that makes doing so attractive in the first place.
Even for the regulars and the longtime donors who have given more than 100 times in their lives, offering up one's own blood is a big deal. It's personal for many donors, in that they have a dear friend or family member living today because of blood transfusions. Even if it's not personal, the very act is inspiring. It's a powerful and motivating thought to know that someone's life will be saved by simply sitting down for a few minutes and letting a nurse draw blood from your arm.
The fact not everyone can give blood makes it even more special. There are numerous reasons why large segments of the population can't ever give blood, such as having lived in parts of Africa or even in Western Europe and the UK between 1980 and 1996, on top of the various health issues.
In other words, giving blood isn't a simple thing and Canadian Blood Services may be working against themselves by trying to make it so. Easy, six-day-a-week access gives the mistaken impression for some people that they can go anytime, meaning they'll never go because they can go anytime they want. If they have to plan to go around their jobs, their personal lives and when the clinic is open, that takes effort but it's precisely that effort that makes the donor feel even better about themselves for having given blood.
The effort to get into the chair should more closely match the importance and the value donors put on their gift. They should feel extraordinary because they've done something extraordinary. Instead of trying to convince people to donate because it's quick, easy and convenient, Canadian Blood Services might try telling people it takes a bit of time, it might hurt and you might faint afterwards.
Saving someone's life isn't as easy as sipping a latte.
So thank you, Prince George, for giving so generously and keep up the good work.
