About Us

Transfusion Medicine Physician On-Call Service.

• Provide Transfusion guidance to Clinicians
• Authorize release of limited access products

Contact your facility paging service or local blood bank and ask for the Transfusion Medicine Physician on call.

On November 26, 1997, Health Minister Allan Rock, on behalf of the Federal government, released the final report of the Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada (Krever Commission). Blood Conservation Programs were established across Canada based on the Commission’s recommendations (Health Canada).

The “Blood Products Alternative Program (BPAP)” was launched in 2000 at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.   After demonstrating efficacy in blood management and in providing safe patient care, it evolved into the Blood Conservation Service (BCS) for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA).   Blood Management Service (BMS) has since expanded provincially in its support of patients and healthcare professionals.  The administrative base for the BMS is at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.

Our service goals are:

• To enhance patient care and patient satisfaction through blood & blood alternatives education,
• To provide a process whereby patients are informed and appropriate alternatives are implemented,
• To decrease the demand on the blood supply.
• Patients that could benefit from referral to Blood Management Service:

Patients scheduled for elective surgical procedures which are associated with:

• High blood loss
• Staged procedures
• Anemic patients
• Small patients (low body weight)
• Patients with a difficult cross-match or multiple anti-bodies
• Patients who do not accept blood transfusion for any reason

If you are planning to have surgery in the near future and would like to obtain more information about the Blood Management Service, please call (204) 926-8006.

• Click here for further information on Obstetrical Anemia and Intravenous Iron.
• Click here to complete the Blood Management Service Consultation/Referral Form
• Click here to complete the Blood Management Service Obstetrical Consult/Referral Form
• BMS Brochure

Please fax consults/referrals to: 204- 940-3255

Additional Resources for Clinicians:

• Medical Consultants: Dr. Arjuna Ponnampalam
• Manager: Shana Chiborak 
• Nurse Coordinators:
  • Brittani Rainkie
  • Lindsay McCormac
  • Andrea Nielsen
  • Jamie McMillan
• Administrative Staff: Richel Colatruglio

Best Blood Manitoba is an initiative of the Manitoba Provincial Transfusion Practice Advisory Committee to provide accessible and current information on blood for patients and healthcare providers.

Vision

A vein-to-vein transfusion practice service that supports rational and safe transfusion practice for all Manitobans

Mission

• Provide a forum of content experts from multiple professions and organizations to share information and support common initiatives
• Provide information & tools to support Regulatory and Accreditation processes
• Provide information, data & tools to support Transfusion Practice Committees

Goals

• To improve utilization of blood products
• To provide accessible transfusion practice information to all Manitobans
• To meet all Regulatory & Accreditation Requirements
• To support provincial training and competency standards

Membership

• Representation from Medicine, Nursing and Laboratory for all Transfusion Practice Committees in Manitoba
• Representation from Shared Health-Transfusion Medicine
• Representation from Blood Management Service
• Representation from Canadian Blood Services

Manitoba has a strong collaborative community supporting safe and appropriate transfusions.  This community includes:

• Shared Health – Transfusion Medicine
  • Is responsible for the provision of blood bank and Transfusion Medicine services and the quality of those services
• Advisory Groups
  • Provincial Transfusion Practice Advisory Committee
  • Provincial Nursing Resource Group for Transfusion Practice
• Transfusion Practice Committees
• Canadian Blood Services
• College of Physicians & Surgeons Manitoba
  • Manitoba Quality Assurance Program (MANQAP)
  • The objective of MANQAP is to establish standards for diagnostic facilities, to investigate and inspect diagnostic facilities for accreditation and to monitor compliance with established standards

Shared Health is a key player in the province-wide ‘vein-to-vein’ Transfusion Medicine Service for Manitobans. While collaborating with key partners engaged in funding, monitoring, service delivery and clinical care, Shared Health’s role in blood bank services and cross-matching ensures best practice policies and procedures in the management and use of Manitoba’s precious blood and blood product inventory.

Transfusion Medicine is only one part of Shared Health’s full mission in Manitoba.  Shared Health is Manitoba’s largest provider of public laboratory services across the province and imaging services in rural Manitoba. Shared Health’s vision and commitment is to create patient-first environments that provide quality testing and imaging in support of the healthcare needs of all Manitobans, no matter where they live.

The tests and services that Shared Health provides are what doctors and other healthcare providers use to diagnose health concerns or issues and to determine the best course of treatment. Whether it’s to conduct blood tests for a hospital patient or to determine whether someone has cancer, Shared Health is providing the Results that Matter to Manitobans every day.

For more information on Shared Health and the services it provides, please visit the Shared Health website.