SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, June 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Canary Islands Institute of Hemodonation and Hemotherapy (ICHH), a body dependent on the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, María Teresa Gutiérrez Izquierdo, presented this Wednesday at a press conference the contents and objectives of the institution’s new advertising campaign for the summer.
Under the slogan ‘Holidays begin when you donate blood’, the summer campaign’s main objective is to encourage citizens to include blood donation as part of their summer preparation routine, so that they keep this habit in mind before leaving vacation.
During the presentation, Gutiérrez explained that “in summer the population breaks with its routine and tends to be more busy preparing for vacations, traveling or going out and having fun, and in this context, blood donations suffer a decline”.
However, he said, “hospital needs remain the same, which is why it is necessary to remind the population of the need to donate blood also in summer.”
The campaign has a relaxed tone, which alludes to summer from a fresh point of view, ideal for connecting with the interests of the moment and useful as a reminder that the need to donate is still very present, since patients, recipients of blood, they don’t have vacations, pick up a note from the Ministry.
The objective is to broaden the level of awareness and stimulate a citizen reaction that allows alleviating the traditional drop in donations during this seasonal period.
The different pieces that make up the campaign will be visible through social networks, stickers on buses and urban furniture and will be active until September 30.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DONATING BLOOD IN SUMMER
The ICHH reminds the population of the reasons for donating blood in summer, a time when the number of donations traditionally decreases due to greater mobility of regular donors, who move to their second homes or leave the island on vacation ; a change in routines and a general relaxation motivated by the vacation environment; the impossibility of organizing collections in companies and educational centers during the summer months, as is done during the rest of the year or that people who enjoy their holidays outside of Spain must wait between a month (if they have traveled outside of Europe) and four months (if they have traveled to countries at risk of contracting malaria or Chagas disease) to be able to donate blood.
DONATE BLOOD REGULARLY
Blood donation is a fundamental pillar that guarantees the proper functioning of the health system, they highlight from the Ministry.
In the Canary Islands, 300 daily blood donations are needed to attend to scheduled hospital activity and emergencies such as treatment of oncology, hematology, leukemia, anemia, surgeries, transplants, traffic accidents or deliveries with complications requiring transfusions of different blood groups.
This hospital activity is maintained throughout the year and, consequently, it is necessary to sustain the number of donations necessary to meet this demand.
Although donations of all blood groups are necessary, the Canary Transfusion Center must take special care to maintain the stock of blood products of groups A+ and O+, as these are the most frequent among the population and, consequently, the most in demand in the hospitals.
WHERE TO DONATE BLOOD IN THE CANARY ISLANDS
The ICHH has a fleet of mobile units in operation that travel through the municipalities of the archipelago and that are combined with the temporary donation rooms that are set up inside buildings and public places located at street level. In addition, you can donate blood throughout the year at the ICHH network of fixed points and at the Canary Islands Health Service hospitals.
The minimum requirements to donate blood are to be in good general health, be between 18 and 65 years of age, weigh more than 50 kilos and not be pregnant.
The ICHH has a self-assessment questionnaire available to the public on the cover of its website efectodonacion.com in which it is possible to quickly, anonymously and confidentially check if it is possible to donate blood before going to the extraction room.
DONATION PROTOCOL
People interested in donating blood can go directly to the donation point or make an appointment by calling 012 or 928 301 012 / 922 470 012 (option 8), Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. or by filling in the form published on the cover of the web effectodonacion.com.
Before going to donate, it is advisable to review the information published on this same web page in the ‘Information and Protocol’ tab, to familiarize yourself with the established security measures and answer the self-assessment test to check if you can donate blood.
The ICHH recalls that people vaccinated against covid-19, both with one and two doses and the booster dose, can donate blood 48 hours after inoculation.
Men can donate a maximum of four times a year and women three, with a minimum interval of sixty days between donations.
