Prince George, B.C.- It’s that time of the year, when  blood  donors are on holidays, but the need for  blood  is high.

In Prince George,  more than 620  blood donating  appointments have not been filled.  That’s cause for concern says Amy Erickson, Territory  Manager for the  Canadian Blood Services Prince George Clinic. She says in consultation with hospital partners  in B.C. and the rest of Canada, it has been determined  there should be 7,000 donations this year.

“Usually, going into the summer we have a stronger inventory than we did this year” says Erickson “Nationally, we have  just seen  our lowest inventory dip in 5 years.  So due to really   slow donations in  April, May and June, it just meant we  didn’t have as much blood on the shelves  before we went into the summer, so we weren’t as prepared as we would have liked , or as we usually are.”

Right now there are about 3,000 registered donors in Prince George, “That’s pretty typical for the Canadian population” says Erickson “3% of the population tends to donate, it’s a little bit lower in B.C.”. She says they believe they need to boost their donor base in Prince George by anywhere from 700 to 1,000 people. “That way   we can have more donors coming in less often and during these summer dips we will still have extra people to come in and fill the gaps.”

There is a lot of fear that goes with blood donation   says Erickson, “But I always  say to people when  we are out in the community that it’s important to think of those patients that are  getting surgery, undergoing cancer treatment, they’ve been in an accident,  they’ve  had trauma, they’re probably pretty scared too, and  we don’t want them to worry about if there’s going to be blood when they need it.”

So, there  is an  easy way to help  fill those empty  appointment sessions, call 1-888-2-DONATE, you can also  sign up on line at www.blood.ca or  use  the new Canadian Blood Services “ap” called Give Blood  that allows you to  book appointments,  create a profile and keep track of your donations.