September start date for WA Pop-Up blood donor centre trial

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood’s new WA Pop-Up donor centre will open its doors to blood donors for the first time in September.

Residents in Scarborough and the surrounding suburbs will be the first Western Australians to roll up their sleeves at the trial centre, when it visits the Scarborough Surf Life Saving Club for four days from September 17-20, 2024.

As well as visiting the previously announced five towns of Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Busselton, Armadale and Cockburn, three new sites – Scarborough, Mandurah and Belmont (Airport DFO) – have also been added to the 12-month trial schedule.

Kalgoorlie will be the first regional town to host the WA Pop-Up, where residents will be able to donate blood at YMCA Goldfields between September 30 and October 4, 2024.

Lifeblood Director of Donor Relations, Steve Eldridge, said anyone wanting to donate blood at the WA Pop-Up could book their appointments from today.

“We know the Western Australian community, and in particular our regional communities, are very excited to start donating blood in these new locations and we’re encouraging everyone to visit lifeblood.com.au and book in their donation from today,” he said.

“We want this trial to be successful, and while we’re confident there are enough potential donors in these locations, we need community support to fill 40 appointments for each day we’re in town.”

Mr Eldridge said Lifeblood was thrilled to be able to confirm the start date and locations of the WA Pop-Up donor centre trial.

“For the past eight months we’ve had a dedicated team working very hard to get our new Pop-Up centre trial up and running as quickly as possible,” he said.

“This has involved conducting extensive research and analysis to identify suitable locations and working through operational logistics and licensing for each of the eight sites.

“We’re particularly excited to be adding Mandurah to our schedule, as we know one of the benefits of a Pop-Up donor centre is it enables us to provide more donation options for regional communities.”

Pop-Up donor centres are mobile donor centres that operate from a local venue, such as a community hall, and are set up and packed down for each visit.

The location of Pop-Up visits is based on several factors including proximity to Lifeblood processing centres, population size, estimated donation rate, suitable venue availability, access to regional communities, and availability of qualified staff.

Once established, the Pop-Up will operate in WA for an initial trial period of 12 months, travelling between all eight sites. Once the trial ends, Lifeblood will review how well appointments have been filled.