Although winter is well and truly upon us, last Friday was a “Bloody Great” day! Friday the 14th of June just so happened to be World Blood Donor Day, the 14th day of the month and the 14th consecutive year this annual event has been held.
The Melbourne Declaration was formulated by 40 countries and set a goal to obtain all blood supplies from voluntary donors by 2020. This year’s theme is “Safe blood for all”, an initiative to raise awareness of the universal need for safe blood in the delivery of health care and the critical role that voluntary donations play in achieving the universal health coverage goal. Now we’re only a year away from the goal’s ‘deadline’ however, with 1 in 3 Australians needing blood and around 1 in 30 Australians donating their blood, we’ve still got a way to go until we meet our goal.
With so many bugs around in the winter months, it can be difficult to avoid getting sick. Even the most cautious of us may succumb to the pesky cold and flu. This makes winter a tough time for blood supplies as many regular donors have to reschedule appointments due to colds and flu. A few of our staff saw this as a great opportunity to help raise awareness within their teams and commit to helping bolster the much needed blood supplies.
Naomi and Celine from our Brisbane office headed down to the “Bloody Great Friday” 24 hour blood drive, hosted by the Australian Red Cross Blood Service to do their part by giving their first blood donation. We’re extremely proud of Naomi, Celine and all our other staff who are also regular Blood Donors helping those in need.
If you’re feeling like giving the gift of life and want to help Australia reach the universal blood goal, check out the Australian Red Cross Blood Service website here to learn more or book an appointment. If you decide to donate, we’d love to hear about how it went!
While the idea of donating blood may make some squeamish, doing so will truly give the gift of life this winter.
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