N.S. Health closes blood collection clinic at Halifax Infirmary

The expansion of the province's largest hospital complex has forced the permanent closure of a blood collection site in downtown Halifax.

On Monday, Nova Scotia Health quietly shut down the blood collection clinic at the Halifax Infirmary to make room fora transition unit that's beingdisplaced by ongoing construction at the hospital.

The health authority circulated aninternal memo about the decision butdid not issue a public notice.

Joanne Dunnington, executive director of the QEIIHealth Sciences Centre, said the space is needed because the transition unit next to the hospital's emergency departmenthas to be moved to accommodatethe multi-billion-dollar redevelopment of the Infirmary.

"[We're]looking at any services that are happening within the walls of this very busy acute-care centre that could be offered elsewhere," said Dunnington.

The blood collection clinicfit the bill quite nicely,she said.

Dunningtonsaid she doesn't expect the closure to have any impact on patient care.

The site offered up to 100 appointments a day, about 20 reserved for those withsame-day appointments at other clinics and the remainder available to the general public.

Dr. Irene Sadek,head of the pathology department for the central zone, said extra blood collection appointments were addedat theBayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre andDartmouth General Hospital inanticipation of the Infirmary site closure.

Shesaid people have plenty of other options too.

"We have actually increased our blood collection capacityin central zone over the last two yearstremendously," said Sadek. "Right now we have more blood collection appointment than in pre-COVID.We are increased by almost 20 per cent."

The space being made available by the shutdown of the blood collection site won't completely accommodate theexisting transition unit, for patients awaiting discharge or transfer to a bed within the hospital complex. It now has 17 beds but there's only room for 10 in the clinic.

Dunnington said she expects themove of the transition unit to happen "in the next few weeks."