The Society of Acadians is really beginning to scare me.
(source CBC)
Blood donor clinics without bilingual nurses pose risk: Acadian society
All donations screened, says Canadian Blood Services
Last Updated: Monday, May 25, 2009 10:48 AM AT Comments42Recommend9
CBC News
The Acadian Society of New Brunswick says a lack of bilingual nurses at Canadian Blood Services could increase the risk of contamination of the blood supply.
Blood donor clinics without nurses and staff who speak French have been a long-standing issue for the Acadian society.
Jean-Marie Nadeau, president of the society, said the blood supply could be at risk because of the language barrier.
"The risk of contamination [is increased] if the donor can't communicate with the nurse that asks him questions about his health. You could have a problem," Nadeau said.
The Acadian society worries that misunderstandings could arise between donors and health professionals over sensitive medical questions if people cannot communicate in their first language.
Safeguards in place
However, Canadian Blood Services is denying any health risks. Spokesman Peter MacDonald said donors must fill out a questionnaire, which is available in both official languages.
MacDonald said there's no danger of tainted blood getting into the system because all donations are screened before they are distributed.
"There is an issue that we're working on in terms of customer service for all of our francophone donors in New Brunswick, but there's no safety risk to the blood system due to this issue," he said.
Canadian Blood Services will open a new office in Moncton next year that will include 15 new jobs, and MacDonald said the new branch will offer access to more bilingual staff.
To read the entire article go to;
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/05/25/nb-blood-services-acadian-society-552.html?ref=rss&loomia_si=t0:a16:g2:r5:c0.0691486:b24773804#socialcomments
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