By JESSE GRAHAM
THE Red Cross’s mobile blood donation service will no longer be visiting Healesville, finishing up with a final round of donations later this month.
The Australian Red Cross Blood Service announced last week that its mobile donor centre would make one final visit to Healesville’s Senior Citizens Centre on Green Street from 19-21 October, before leaving town for good.
A Blood Service spokesperson said the mobile service, which visited the town regularly for the last 13 years, is being wound back due to less demand for red blood cell donations from hospitals.
“Currently, Australia’s demand for plasma is at an all-time high, while demand for red cells – derived from whole blood donations – continues to fall,” the spokesperson said in a written statement.
“Medicinal science keeps finding new ways to use plasma products, leading to this increase in demand, and we need to adjust what we collect to meet this growing need.”
“We hope our donors will understand this change is a reflection of shifting demand, as hospitals change the way they use blood products to treat patients.”
The mobile service will continue to visit Lilydale on a quarterly basis and the Blood Service spokesperson said residents could also donate at the Ringwood Donor Centre.
State Donor Services Manager Maureen Bower said that over the last 13 years, enough blood had been donated through the Healesville service to be used with 27,000 patients.
Millgrove resident Jackie Murphy, who receives blood transfusions every 28 days for primary immunodeficiency, said some regular donors would be saddened by the decision to no longer visit Healesville.
“It will be harder for people who come from Marysville and other places,” she said.
However, Ms Murphy said she hoped passionate donors would make the trip to Lilydale or Ringwood to donate regularly.
“A lot of people are really passionate, because it does save lives,” Ms Murphy said.
“It really is needed by other Australians – if there are three of you in your household, one member of your family is going to need blood one day, and yet one in 30 donates blood.
She says she often meets blood donors who are moved by her story, and by meeting one of the many recipients for the blood donations.
“Someone, years ago, said to me ‘I feel this is one of the few good things I can do in my life, and that’s why I donate’,” Ms Murphy said.
“Every 28 days, I get a second chance at life.
“You’re grateful to get a second chance at life … I do every 28 days.”
The Blood Service spokesperson said donors would be notified of the change to the Healesville service.
For more information, or to book a time to donate blood, visit don8blood.com/1L7Z3yd.
