THE Australian Red Cross Blood Service has confirmed Mandurah residents need to go to Rockingham to donate blood after the donation bus was put out of service.
The donation bus was taken off the road last month after almost six years of service for maintenance and refurbishment.
No date has been given for the bus’ return to the road, but according to a Red Cross Blood Service spokesperson, regular donors will be notified once the bus is back in service.
“We would love [for donors] to come to Rockingham,” the spokesperson said.
Rockingham is the closest donation centre for Mandurah locals, given Peel Health Campus (PHC) does not offer a blood donation service.
According to the spokesperson, the campus is not a feasible option given the blood would have to return to Perth for testing and processing before returning to the campus regardless.
The service disruption comes after calls for more donors with as many as 1000 blood donors a week cancelling or rescheduling appointments due to cold and flu symptoms.
The donor drop-off prompted the Blood Service to issue a call for 17,000 more donors during winter.
In some good news for the service a new state-of-the-art Perth facility, which will cost $4 million to complete and open in early 2015, has been announced offering more facilities for donors.
