Pending plasma centre closure sparks rally

More than 100 people went to a noon-hour rally Wednesday to show their support for the plasma collection centre in Thunder Bay.

Plasma donors, employees and politicians protested against the closure of the only stand-alone plasma centre in the country.

Canadian Blood Services has said it has an excess supply of plasma, so the facility is no longer needed.

Kelly Borchardt, a phlebotomist (a technician who draws blood) at the centre, said despite the opposition in the community to the closure, she expects the agency won't change its mind.

"CBS is run like a company and ... they're not about to admit that they did wrong," Borchardt said.

She received the news about the closure while she was on vacation in the southern United States. Yesterday was her first day back on the job.

"It has got to be one of the most emotional days I've ever experienced,"she said. "Staff is angry, confused, they feel betrayed ... and we have donors in tears. They just don't understand."

CBS plans to shut down the plasma collection centre Thursday. All CBS employees in Thunder Bay 28 full-time and part-time employees combined, plus two contract physicians are affected.

According to a CBS press release issued March 29, the closure will have no impact on patient care in Thunder Bay or elsewhere in Canada, as the plasma centre is a collections site only. CBS said local patients will continue to receive the blood products they need from the organization's Winnipeg production and distribution centre, without disruption.