News and articles

Opening hours at Blood Service around Christmas time

Christmas Eve falls on a weekend this year. On Friday 22 December, blood can be donated at the Blood Service's permanent locations and blood donation events at Hyvinkää, Porvoo, Loimaa, Pirkkala and Ähtävä. The next possibility is on Boxing Day 26 December.

It will not be possible to donate blood on Independence Day

The Blood Service will be closed on 6 December for Independence Day. Holidays that fall on weekdays increase the need for blood donors on other days of the month as patients still need blood products regardless of the holidays.

The Blood Service resumes plasma collection

It will soon be possible to donate plasma at the Blood Service when plasmapheresis will be resumed after a break of several years. There is a shortage of plasma raw material in Europe and the use of plasma-derived medicinal products is increasing. Plasma can be donated at the Blood Service’s new donation facility at Jumbo-Flamingo, to be opened in January.

Blood Donation Bus soon calling at stops in the Helsinki metropolitan area

Soon, you will be able to give blood in new surroundings when the Blood Donation Bus rolls into town. The bus, designed specifically for blood donation, will tour the Helsinki metropolitan area, offering a new way to reach blood donors in addition to Blood Service centres and blood donation events.

The Finnish Genomics Initiative FinnGen enters its next phase with 52M€ of new funding

The FinnGen research consortium has successfully collected and generated genomic data from 500,000 individuals. Now, the project will continue its search for genetic clues to disease progression and explore the biological mechanism of the genetic signals uncovered in the first stages of the project. In the FinnGen project there's also genome data produced from blood donors in the Blood Service Biobank.

The fifth season of the Lifesavers' League is about to start

Will Jokerit face off against series leader TUTO Hockey? The fifth season of the Lifesavers' League, organised by Mestis Hockey and the Finnish Blood Service, will begin on 21.9.2023. This year, a new challenger will enter the blood donation competition as Jokerit will be joining for the first time.

The Blood Service is touring Finland: each year more than 1000 blood donation events at over 200 locations

The Finnish Red Cross Blood Service (FRCBS) constantly travels to different towns and cities collecting blood from donors who want to help. This summer is no different, with 4–5 events organised each weekday all over Finland. Mobile operations play an important role in maintaining the blood supply, as almost half of all blood needed in Finland is collected at mobile blood donation events.