The pending closure of Canadian Blood Service’s plasma donor clinic in Thunder Bay has local Liberal MPP Michael Gravelle hopping mad.
On the weekend Gravelle fired a letter of protest off to CBS’s chief operating officer Ian Mumford, asking him to reconsider the organization’s March 29 decision to close the local outlet, a decision that will cost 28 full-time and part-time jobs in the city.
“As MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, I just felt compelled to write a very strong letter to Mr. Mumford … to express my dismay at certainly how they’ve handled it,” Gravelle said.
Calling the Thunder Bay facility one of the most successful plasma collection locations in Canada, Gravelle said he recognizes CBS’s autonomy and that he has no authority to tell Mumford how to run the organization.
But, with news CBS is purchasing the plasma it needs from the U.S., rather than collect it on its own in Thunder Bay, he said he felt he had to speak out.
“I’m strongly saying to Mr. Mumford that he should reconsider this decision,” Gravelle said.
“I’m certainly supporting the Thunder Bay city council resolution asking them to at least hold off closing it so quickly.
“This is really, really causing a great deal of dismay, a great deal of consternation all across the community, from all of the hundreds of volunteers who have been so devoted to … the plasma centre, let alone the employees who have devoted their lives to this.”
Gravelle isn’t sure if his letter will have any influence, given the stark and sudden decision to close the Thunder Bay centre.
“I can’t say how confident I am that Mr. Mumford will listen. But what he will know now is there is a very strong outcry in the community. And again, I recognize there is no authority by the provincial government to tell the Canadian Blood Services what to do,” Gravelle said.
In making the announcement last month, Mumford said replacement produces and a decline in demand meant 10,000 fewer units of plasma are required this year. Other options were reviewed, including a blood collection program, but closure was the only viable answer.
“We understand and are sensitive to the fact that closing the centre will be disappointing and impactful to employees in Thunder Bay. We will ensure that all staff is treated fairly and respectfully and that support measures are in place to address the needs of employees during their transition,” said Bill Coleman, director of donor and clinic services for the prairie region.
Terri Moore, an original employee at the Thunder Bay centre, said the threat of closure is nothing new, and it began within days of the facility first opening, after employees returned from training south of the border.
“From the day we arrived back in Thunder Bay to our brand new facility, we were told daily that it was up to us to get those donors in the door and to keep them there,” said Moore, who left the organization after a few short years, in a letter to the editor sent to tbnewswatch.com.
“If not they would close the doors. We were threatened by that constantly. Most of us had no training to do cold calling. But were told do it or we'll close the doors.”
The clinic had about 1,500 donors, 70 community partners and 13 active volunteers, and is scheduled to close on Thursday.
Below is MPP Michael Gravelle’s letter in its entirety:
April 8, 2012
Mr. Ian Mumford
Chief Operating Officer
Canadian Blood Services
1800 Alta Vista Drive Ottawa, ON K1G 4J5
Dear Mr. Mumford,
I am compelled to write to you directly today to express my concern related to the startling decision to close the Thunder Bay Plasma Centre, and to support the resolution passed last week by Thunder Bay City Council, calling on Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to, at least, delay the closing of the Plasma Centre until November 2012.
I do understand and accept that CBS is an independent charitable organization that operates at arm’s length to our provincial and federal governments; in that regard, I recognize that there is no mechanism in place that enables elected officials to compel CBS to change its decision related to the closure of the Plasma Centre in our community. Having acknowledged that important distinction, I need to say that I am quite disturbed by the way this decision has been handled and communicated to the employees and general public by your organization. These concerns are compounded by information that CBS is buying an increased supply of blood plasma from the United States while, at the same time, announcing that it will be shutting down the plasma collection facility in Thunder Bay.
While I am very conscious of the limitations of any government official attempting to persuade you to reconsider your decision, I feel it is necessary, as MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, to ask that you take another look at this sudden– and on a public level, poorly received and widely misunderstood– decision to close the Plasma Centre. As you will know, there is much dismay and consternation in the community regarding your decision, particularly from the many dedicated people who have regularly contributed to plasma collection at the Centre, as well as your staff, who have devoted their professional lives to this important work.
I am hoping that your organization, which has deservedly earned a positive reputation over the years for the vital role you play in the health care sector, will show some flexibility related to a decision that seems, to many people, quite insensitive, if not harsh. With genuine respect for your organization, I will conclude by asking you to reconsider this decision, in the best interests of our community, and in the interest of Canadian Blood Services itself as a much-valued public entity.
Yours sincerely,
Michael Gravelle. MPP
Thunder Bay-Superior North
