World Blood Donor Day was celebrated on June 14. This year’s theme, “Blood connects us all”, was aimed at highlighting the dimension of “sharing” and “connection” between donors and patients.
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What better way for the Australian Red Cross to celebrate this theme than by stretching the bloodline to regions in North West NSW?
It is ironic that the Australian Red Cross is seeking blood donors – that it says it is in short supply – at a time when rural residents are demanding their rights to a blood donor program which is sadly lacking in Inverell, Moree and many other surrounding regions.
Our readers are calling for change, and the Inverell Times supports this. For this reason, we are moving forth in a campaign to bring back the service that saves people’s lives. In a meeting with our local MP Adam Marshall, we were directed to the Australian Red Cross.
“When they made the decision to stop running mobile blood banks in Glen Innes, Moree and Inverell, they were unwilling to listen to the community or me,” Mr Marshall posted on Facebook this week. “I would welcome and fully support any support from the community to lobby the Red Cross to re-instate these services to our local communities.”
Some readers called for a petition. Others, like Elaine McCann, looked to the example of Orange that raised a lot of money for “a mobile blood bus which goes to all the smaller towns in the district.” Huge reader interest was generated on social media following a story we ran on the local blood bank debacle.
“We had one of the best blood donor rates,” says Penny Harvey. “I could never understand it being closed down and not upgraded.”
“They reckon it's because they need plasma more than blood,” says David Tait,
Local blood donors still go to great lengths to donate blood. “They are always in need of blood donors, but we can’t give blood in country areas,” says Karen Smith, who goes to Coffs Harbour to donate.
The Australian Red Cross says that there are no immediate plans to bring back the service, but is this really written in blood?
Send your letters calling for the return of a blood bank to the Inverell Times (166 Byron Street, NSW, 2360) or e-mail inverelltimes@fairfaxmedia.com.au and we will personally deliver these to the Australian Red Cross to exert pressure for the return of the service.