By: Gabi Herman
Donating blood was surprisingly easy. With a “first time donor” sticker on my t-shirt, I was in and out within an hour. The staff was nice, the procedure was simple, and I got to nosh on free cookies afterward. They even helped me schedule an appointment for my next donation. Looking exclusively at my experience in the clinic, it’s hard to understand why Canadian Blood Services is facing its lowest blood inventory levels since 2008.
On Sept. 30, right before I happened to donate, the organization announced that they would soon only have a three-day supply of blood, as opposed to the five to eight day buffer they need. The need for blood has been increasing by two percent each year, and the number of donors has been steadily decreasing. Canada-wide, only 3.7 percent of eligible donors give blood. This gets even worse in big cities like Toronto, where less than 2 percent of its residents donate. So, why aren't people taking the time for a simple procedure that can save lives?
I may be too idealistic in believing that people genuinely want to help, but I like to think that Canadians live up to our reputation as good-hearted people. There's a better explanation for the low blood levels: Canadian Blood Services' public outreach campaigns leave much to be desired. In general, people are unaware of the need for donations, don't know how to book appointments, and aren't sure if they're eligible. Their website is old-fashioned, and their clinic locator tool breaks on a regular basis.
Maybe it was just the hubbub of the poster sale, but on the morning of my appointment I didn't see any signs to direct me to the blood clinic. None of my reminder e-mails had the exact location, either. I went to Compass to ask, and like a nurse trying to find an elusive vein, they directed me to the wrong place. I had to do a considerable amount of research and running back and forth to locate the clinic. This was not the fault of the woman behind the desk at Compass. Nobody had told her about it.
After my appointment, feeling inspired to help, I asked a number of my friends to book appointments. “They do that here?” asked one, surprised. Another one, not a McMaster student, tried to book an appointment online and was met with a faulty clinic locator. Many of my friends did not know how to find out if they were eligible, and many thought blood could only be donated once a year. (The maximum is seven times, by the way.) Most, like myself before I donated, were unaware of the severe blood shortages.
While Canadian Blood Services is not a government agency, it receives funding from taxpayers and has similar clunky websites and uncreative advertising to government agencies. Many people have suffered through the archaic web pages of OSAP or Health Canada, but people have no pressing requirement to do the same to donate blood. After all, blood donation isn't going to pay for a university education or ensure an appointment with a health specialist. Canadian Blood Services needs to up its game on advertising and education.
Although it definitely has its downfalls, I might be treating Canada's saver-of-lives rather harshly. Canadian Blood Services' Blood Signal campaign and the GiveBlood app are steps in the right direction for a tech-savvy, user-friendly, and successful charitable model. There is work to be done, but its Twitter account is pretty fantastic. I agree with Canadian Blood Services and urge you to donate as soon as possible. Clinics are held on the third floor of the Student Centre on every other Tuesday. Come well-hydrated and ready to help save lives. After all, as the slogan says, “it's in you to give.”
By: Jennifer Chambers
As young adults, we tend to see ourselves as a pretty accepting and understanding generation – at least compared to previous ones. Watching movies such as Dallas Buyers Club or Philadelphia, we reflect on how ignorant people were back then. We are told to not only be accepting of others, but also to express who we are, to celebrate ourselves, and our differences. There are still some causes to fight for, but when your gay friends get harassed at the bar you think, “that’s just one homophobic jerk that needs to get with the times”. "The times" are reflected in our institutions and systems that no longer discriminate against gay men. But is that really the case?
Canadian Blood Services (CBS) has recently announced that blood supplies have hit a six-year low. With such a shortage you would think that any healthy and willing individual’s blood would be accepted. After lifting a 30-year ban, which prevented men who have sex with men (MSM) from giving blood, CBS still discriminates against these men by requiring that they be abstinent for five years before being allowed to give blood. This policy echoes the old prejudice that only gay men can have HIV/AIDS, when in reality anyone regardless of gender and sexual preference can be at risk of spreading the disease. Heterosexual couples practicing unsafe sex, or those deciding to get tattoos or piercings are also at risk. It is specifically discriminatory that anyone with a tattoo or piercing only has to wait for six months before they are acceptable to the CBS. If HIV antibodies can be detected by blood tests within six months of infection, then why is there a discrepancy between the two groups? Why not apply the six-month rule to MSM?
Another reason this policy is discriminatory is that it suggests all MSM individuals are likely to contract HIV/AIDS, regardless of the fact that they may be practicing safe sex or be in a monogamous relationship. These kinds of policies should be aimed at screening individuals and letting those engaged in generally low-risk practices donate much-needed blood.
Of course, in such important and potentially life-changing matters, CBS should be cautious and make sure that blood donations are safe for the receiving individuals. But the fact that individuals can have such different eligibility requirements as a result of sexual preference seems ridiculous. Instead, we should be shaping our institutions and social structures around good screening practices, so that any healthy and willing individual – regardless of their sexual identity – would be given the chance to save a life. Because, ultimately, it’s in all of us to give.
