Brimbank locals are asking for a new permanent blood donor centre to be established in Sunshine, citing the long travel times to nearby established donor centres.
Sunshine resident Brian Carroll has donated blood for the past 20 years and recently completed his 40th donation.
He said a permanent donor centre in Sunshine would drive up donations.
“It’s a good catchment for the blood bank, it’s convenient,” Mr Carroll said.
Mr Carroll said the existing donor centre in Airport West isn’t convenient for residents who don’t drive.
“The public transport at Airport West is basically non-existent from Sunshine, otherwise you have to travel to Williamstown or to Werribee or the city,” he said.
“With this type of service, people are time poor and that’s why they don’t donate all the time.”
Mr Carroll said he had to go to Werribee for his recent donation, which added up to about two hours of travel time.
He said the pop-up donor centre that opens in Sunshine every few months is a good start but is not a permanent solution.
A Lifeblood spokesperson told Star Weekly decisions around permanent donor centres are based on several factors including proximity to processing centres, population size, estimated donation rate and availability of qualified staff.
“Lifeblood receives hundreds of requests each year from communities across Australia to collect blood in new or old locations, or to establish permanent centres. But with such a vast country, we simply can’t be everywhere,” the spokesperson said.
“Our robust and flexible network of static and mobile donor centres means around 90 per cent of Australians live within a one-hour drive of a donation point.”
The spokesperson said while there are currently no plans to establish a permanent donor centre in Sunshine, Lifeblood’s focus remains on ensuring its pop-up donor centre is well-booked when it’s in town.
Lifeblood said there were still over 100 appointments available during its next pop-up donor centre in Sunshine from 8-12 December.
“We’re extremely grateful to Brimbank locals for their passion and generosity in donating blood and plasma,” the spokesperson said.
To book a donation, visit lifeblood.com.au or download the Lifeblood App.
