Canada’s Blood System: How It Works
By Frank McNeirney

Montréal serves as the home of Héma-Québec, one of the two pillars of the Canadian blood management system. The organization’s headquarters are in Saint-Laurent, a western borough of the city.

Héma-Québec and its Ottawa-based counterpart, Canadian Blood Services (CBS), were created in 1998 to replace the Canadian Red Cross Society’s blood program. Héma-Québec operates solely in the province of Quebéc. CBS manages the blood supply in all other Canadian provinces and territories.

Formation of the two nonprofits was triggered by a 1996 government report that called for the revamping of the nation’s blood management system following highly publicized incidents involving contaminated blood in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Under Canadian law, blood is considered a drug and is regulated by Health Canada, a department of the federal government, through its Blood Establishment Regulation Division.

Héma-Québec
Héma-Québec’s principal mandate is to supply hospitals with safe, superior-quality blood products. As such, it is responsible for donor recruitment, blood collection, product quality and the distribution of blood products to hospitals.

The organization’s board of directors is made up of representatives from all segments of the transfusion chain, from donor to recipient. Its president and chief executive officer is Dr. Francine Décary.

“We are delighted to welcome colleagues from the United States and the four corners of the world to this major event,” said Décary in a message to AABB meeting attendees. “Héma-Québec wishes you a fruitful and enjoyable stay in Montreal.” Héma-Québec employs a staff of more than 1,300 and collects approximately 256,000 units of blood each year. In addition to its Saint-Laurent office, it maintains a smaller facility in Québec City, on the campus of Laval University, that is devoted mainly to research and development.

The organization has attracted worldwide acclaim for its hemovigilance program, which monitors the risks associated with blood transfusions and is run under the supervision of Québec’s Minister of Health and Social Services.

Héma-Québec collaborates closely with Canadian Blood Services, which serves the rest of Canada. An online link has been set up between the two organizations’ donor banks whereby each can share product whenever demand exceeds supply in the other’s area.

Canadian Blood Services
CBS, with a larger staff of about 4,800, collects approximately 850,000 units of blood annually. Its funds come from the ministers of health of the provinces and territories it serves.

Earlier this year, during Canada’s June 9-14 National Blood Donor Week, CBS launched a new social media Web site, www.thankyour donor.ca, through which blood recipients have an opportunity to thank donors and share stories, photos and videos about how receiving blood or blood components made a difference in their lives.

“Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec have come a long way” since the two organizations were formed 10 years ago, said CBS Chief Executive Officer Dr. Graham D. Sher in a statement issued in conjunction with this year’s Blood Donor Week. “Safety, of course, remains of paramount importance, but having an adequate supply of blood and blood products can be a challenge.” Héma-Québec’s Décary agreed in a concurring statement, calling blood donation “an activity that is completely dependent on the generosity of those who make an effort to share their greatest asset: their health.”