Although public gatherings of almost all kinds have been banned, it is still permitted and encouraged to give blood. That in mind, those who are able to should consider dropping by the Elie-Carrier community centre at 464 rue Merrill in Coaticook on the afternoon and evening of Tuesday, March 24. Between the hours of 1:30p.m. and 8 p.m. Héma-Quebec will be running a drop-in blood donor clinic in the community centre. The organization hopes to get at least 125 donors over the course of the day to help support the medical system. The Coaticook clinic is the only one scheduled for the Eastern Townships this week, although more are planned for the weeks to come. Information on the location and timing of those later clinics is still in the process of being sorted out, however, as the closure of most public gathering spaces has resulted in a need for reorganization.
Outside of Quebec, Canadian Blood Services says it’s concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a spike in cancellations for blood donation appointments.
For more information on the work of Héma-Quebec visit https://www.hema-quebec.qc.ca/index.en.html
