Web Statement - 15th Anniversary

September 27, 2013 (CANADA) - On November 26, 1997, Justice Horace Krever tabled a report to the federal government that had 28 recommendations. One of Krever’s key recommendations was the creation of a new national blood authority. We assumed full responsibility for the operation of the blood supply on September 28th, 1998. At that time, we took over a system that was broken, in a time when trust from Canadians was at an all-time low.

As we look at our 15-year history, we have evolved from being reactive – as an organization founded to restore confidence in the blood system – to proactive, as we’ve broadened our focus to help advance the overall quality of health care in Canada.

Much of our success can be attributed to the ongoing generosity of our donors, volunteers, corporate and government partners, and community group members. They have provided guidance in our decision making, stability through participation in programs, sponsorship and contributions for new endeavours, and unwavering support that we will do the right thing.

Looking back, we’ve taken the experience we’ve gained and the expertise we’ve developed to become a trusted, respected and valued leader in Canadian health care. Our business now extends beyond blood and blood products.

But 15 years ago, no one could have anticipated the growth and responsibility our organization would take on:

• Improvements to our stem cell registry;
• the development of a national public umbilical cord blood bank;
• renewed focus in research and innovation;
• new role in organ and tissue donation and transplantation including development of an inter-provincial network for patient registries to improve transplantation which includes improved access to data, analytics and system reporting, a focus on developing evidence based leading practices, and contributing to professional education and public awareness

As a manufacturer of life-saving biological products and a health service provider, we have gained the confidence to go further into the fiscal and healthcare environments in which we operate, all the while staying focused on rigorously maintaining the safety and effectiveness of our products and services while improving productivity and efficiency.

Each year, we collect more blood from an ever-increasing national pool of active donors. Over the course of our history, Canadian Blood Services has collected well over nine million units of blood, or enough to provide each person in the city of Toronto three units of blood.

Since taking over operation of the blood system, the journey has been one from tragedy to trust. We now have one of the safest blood systems in the world. Through sound business decisions, risk management, devoted staff, direction from our stakeholders our organization is and will continue to be both a valued partner and productive contributor within the health-care system.

We wouldn’t be where we are without our dedicated volunteers, our generous donors, our devoted staff and our committed partners across the federal and provincial governments. You help us make a difference every day and for that, we are grateful.

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