There is always a need and a demand for blood donors. No matter what the season, the weather, the month of the year... someone, somewhere needs the gift of life. With the Sirens for Life campaign in full swing until September, PTBOCanada's Julie Morris wanted to give you a glimpse of the steps involved and how simple it really is to be a blood donor. If you've never donated before but have often been curious as to what is involved, we hope this encourages you to go ahead and make that appointment. Here's how it works...

Shelley will greet you upon arrival at the clinic (the Blood Donor clinic is located at 55 George Street North) and help get your appointment underway and book your next one!

The next step is to get a quick poke to check your hemoglobin level. In order to proceed with the process, your hemoglobin count must be 12.5 or above. Anything lower and you will not be able to donate that day. After this step, you will then make a stop at one of the booths to fill out the first part of the questionnaire. It you'd like, prior to your visit you can preview the Record of Donation online.

The remainder of the questions on the questionnaire are verbally asked to you when you continue on to one of the privacy rooms. In addition to the remainder of the questions, you will also have your blood pressure and temperature taken. Your blood pressure must be no lower than 90/50 and no higher than 180/100. Your temperature must fall between 35.8 C and 37.5 C. Check out the Basic Eligibility for complete details.

Tracey Hughes, who is a teacher at TASSS, in the middle of completing her 20th donation!

Dan Mundell from the Peterborough Fire Department and Don Broersma from the Peterborough-Lakefield Police both enjoy some snacks after donating. One of the many long term volunteers of the clinic will offer you treats and juice after your donation is complete and if you're lucky maybe even an ice cream cone!

The Peterborough permanent blood clinic is located at 55 George Street North. They are open Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays 8 a.m. to noon, and the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 8 a.m. to noon. You can check out their FAQs to answer any questions you might still have as you think about donating.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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