After deep consideration with the Canadian Blood Services Initiative for mobile blood donor clinics in isolated and rural areas, I have decided not to pursue this anymore ["Advocate petitions for blood donor clinic in qathet region," January 11].
Over the last six months, I have only received 170 responses for the blood donor petition, when 3,000 was the goal, for submission to Canadian Blood Services to show the public support for mobile blood donor clinics. Complacency and lack of interest on the part of our society to get involved is a factor, obviously taking for granted that blood availability is something that is always available, which is definitely not the case.
It will have to take a critical shortage of blood supply to affect the population in order for our society to realize how deeply important it is for blood donations. Also, Canadian Blood Services, I truly believe, runs its organization as a for profit, to which they will never admit to. What is required is an audit to actually see where all these financial donations are actually ending up.
The Red Cross has to get back involved and Canadian Blood Services should be disbanded. Most countries use either Red Cross or Red Crescent to oversee and initiate the collection of blood donations.
"Blood donation is a priceless gift" is one of Canadian Blood Services' main slogans. Except it's too expensive for them to go to the people. They want the people to either come to them or donate money freely to their organization. There is something critically wrong with Canadian Blood Services ethics and so called services.
Thank you to all citizens who took interest, signed up for the petition and offered their help with this initiative. I need to step back from this for now and hopefully, someday, our society will come to it's senses and wake up.
Glenn Holstine, King Avenue,
Powell River
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