The last blood clinic has been held in Espanola because Canadian Blood Services is going in a new direction.
Agency spokesperson, Jenny Fortin, says the last clinic was held yesterday since the agency is winding down whole blood collections and transitioning to plasma collections in 2020.
Fortin says late next year there will be plasma collection with three proof-of-concept sites being set up, one in Sudbury, the other two in Alberta and British Columbia.
She adds plasma machines are not portable, so there will no longer be travelling clinics, so anyone wishing to donate will have to travel to Sudbury.
A cake-cutting was also held yesterday to thank volunteers for their years of dedication.
The sites will be dedicated to the collection of source plasma, which is the blood component used to make specialized medicines from the proteins in human plasma. The protein products that are derived from source plasma are used in the treatment of patients with a variety of life-threatening conditions.
The Sudbury site will be the first to open, with collection from eligible donors expected to get underway by the Summer/Fall 2020, followed by Lethbridge in Fall 2020, and Kelowna in Spring 2021. These locations were chosen based on criteria for optimal conditions to allow the collection of voluntary, unpaid donations.
The Sudbury Donor Centre located at 944 Barrydowne Rd. will continue to collect whole blood donations until January 31st, 2020.
