Nearly 170 blood donation appointments need to be filled this Monday

The dog days of summer mean more people are spending their time out of town, whether they’re at the cottage or taking a trip; and the number of empty donor beds at blood donation clinics is on the rise.

According to Canadian Blood Services, thousands of appointments are being left unfilled nationwide. There’s concerns over the national blood and plasma supply as appointment bookings are falling short of hospitals’ demand.

While there’s enough stock right now, that could change quickly if appointments don’t get filled.

In Waterloo Region, nearly 170 appointments are open for this civic holiday Monday. There’s 70 openings at the K-W donor centre at 94 Bridgeport Rd. E., which is open Monday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

In Kitchener, there are 46 open appointments at Calvin Presbyterian Church on Westmount Road for Monday between 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

In New Hamburg, there are 47 open appointments at Steinmann Mennonite Church on Snyder’s Road West from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Book an appointment by using the GiveBlood app, calling 1-888-2-DONATE, or visiting blood.ca.