Canadian Blood Services
Encyclopedia
Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood
supply in all provinces and territories of Canada
, outside of Quebec
, and oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network (formerly Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry). A separate organization, Héma-Québec
, operates in the province of Quebec. A team of 4,600 staff and 17,000 volunteers help Canadian Blood Services operate 41 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000 donor clinics annually. It was created in 1998 as a successor to the Canadian Red Cross
blood program and the Canadian Blood Agency, on recommendation of the Krever Commission
. It took over the responsibilities of Canadian blood systems starting from September 26, 1998.
Canadian Blood Services collects approximately 880,000 units of blood annually and processes it into the components and products that are administered to thousands of patients each year through blood transfusion
s. In addition to donating whole blood
, some locations also offer platelets and blood plasma
donations.
While Canadian Blood Services is not a government agency, it does receive its funding from the provincial and territorial ministries of health, and is regulated by Health Canada.
On August 12, 2008, Canadian Blood Services announced that it would work with the Canadian Council for Donation and Transplantation to significantly improve organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Canada. Canadian Blood Services received government funding of $35 million over five years to proceed with this new mandate.
Canadian Blood Services is governed by an independent Board of Directors. Current directors include: Dr. Verna M. Skanes (Chair), Dr. Bernadette Garvey, Frank D. Jones Q.C., W. John Dawson, Dr. Gary Glavin, Vice Admiral Lynn Gordon Mason (ret'd), Dr. Michael D. Mehta
, Kenneth Wayne Ezeard, Thomas Warner, Marilyn Robinson, and Leah Hollins (Vice-Chair). The Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Blood Services is Dr. Graham Sher, and the Chief Operating Officer is Ian Mumford.
Canadian Blood Services practices the policy of a gay blood ban.
, plateletpheresis
, and stem cell
and bone marrow
collection and matching.
Whole blood collection is the shortest process of those listed above and at over 850,000 units collected per year, is the primary blood collection service offered by Canadian Blood Services. In Canada, whole blood collection is restricted to a maximum of 605 g per visit.
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
supply in all provinces and territories of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, outside of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network (formerly Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry). A separate organization, Héma-Québec
Héma-Québec
Héma-Québec is a non-profit organization that manages the blood supply for the Canadian province of Quebec. It was created on March 27, 1998 as a successor to the Canadian Red Cross Blood Program and the Canadian Blood Agency....
, operates in the province of Quebec. A team of 4,600 staff and 17,000 volunteers help Canadian Blood Services operate 41 permanent collection sites and more than 20,000 donor clinics annually. It was created in 1998 as a successor to the Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
blood program and the Canadian Blood Agency, on recommendation of the Krever Commission
Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada
The Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada, more commonly referred to as the Krever Commission or Krever Inquiry, was a Royal commission headed by Mr Justice Horace Krever established by the Canadian Government in October 1993...
. It took over the responsibilities of Canadian blood systems starting from September 26, 1998.
Canadian Blood Services collects approximately 880,000 units of blood annually and processes it into the components and products that are administered to thousands of patients each year through blood transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
s. In addition to donating whole blood
Whole blood
Whole blood is a term used in transfusion medicine for human blood from a standard blood donation. The blood is typically combined with an anticoagulant during the collection process, but is generally otherwise unprocessed...
, some locations also offer platelets and blood plasma
Blood plasma
Blood plasma is the straw-colored liquid component of blood in which the blood cells in whole blood are normally suspended. It makes up about 55% of the total blood volume. It is the intravascular fluid part of extracellular fluid...
donations.
While Canadian Blood Services is not a government agency, it does receive its funding from the provincial and territorial ministries of health, and is regulated by Health Canada.
On August 12, 2008, Canadian Blood Services announced that it would work with the Canadian Council for Donation and Transplantation to significantly improve organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Canada. Canadian Blood Services received government funding of $35 million over five years to proceed with this new mandate.
Canadian Blood Services is governed by an independent Board of Directors. Current directors include: Dr. Verna M. Skanes (Chair), Dr. Bernadette Garvey, Frank D. Jones Q.C., W. John Dawson, Dr. Gary Glavin, Vice Admiral Lynn Gordon Mason (ret'd), Dr. Michael D. Mehta
Michael D. Mehta
Michael D. Mehta is an environmental social scientist who specializes in science, technology and society with a focus on environmental and health risk issues.-Education:He holds a B.A. in psychology, a Master of Environmental Studies, a Ph.D...
, Kenneth Wayne Ezeard, Thomas Warner, Marilyn Robinson, and Leah Hollins (Vice-Chair). The Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Blood Services is Dr. Graham Sher, and the Chief Operating Officer is Ian Mumford.
Canadian Blood Services practices the policy of a gay blood ban.
Blood Collection Services Offered
Canadian Blood Services collection services vary across Canada but typical services include: whole blood collection, plasmapheresisPlasmapheresis
Plasmapheresis is the removal, treatment, and return of blood plasma from blood circulation. It is thus an extracorporeal therapy...
, plateletpheresis
Plateletpheresis
Plateletpheresis is the process of collecting thrombocytes, more commonly called platelets, a component of blood involved in blood clotting...
, and stem cell
Stem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
and bone marrow
Bone marrow
Bone marrow is the flexible tissue found in the interior of bones. In humans, bone marrow in large bones produces new blood cells. On average, bone marrow constitutes 4% of the total body mass of humans; in adults weighing 65 kg , bone marrow accounts for approximately 2.6 kg...
collection and matching.
Whole blood collection is the shortest process of those listed above and at over 850,000 units collected per year, is the primary blood collection service offered by Canadian Blood Services. In Canada, whole blood collection is restricted to a maximum of 605 g per visit.