Nova ScotiaPeople are not having to wait as long to get their blood collected at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, N.S., but a provincial seniors’ advocate says obstacles remain for those accessing blood services across the province.’We’ve been able to provide some more predictable, stable access to appointments,’ says officialErin Pottie · CBC News · Posted: Dec 05, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Blood collection wait times are improving at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, due to recent hiring of several medical laboratory assistants. Last year, the vacancy rate for this position at the Sydney, N.S., hospital was 55 per cent. (Erin Pottie/CBC News)People are not having to wait as long to get their blood collected at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, N.S., but a provincial seniors’ advocate says obstacles remain for those accessing blood services across the province.About a year ago, patients were waiting between two and three weeks for routine blood testing appointments in Sydney.Now, they’re being seen in five to six business days, said Lori Reid, director of pathology and laboratory medicine for Nova Scotia Health’s eastern zone.”I just want the public to be aware that we’ve been able to provide some more predictable, stable access to appointments,” said Reid, who is based in Sydney.She credits the improvements to a partnership between Nova Scotia Health and a local career college that provides online instruction to become a medical laboratory assistant and hands-on training in a clinical setting.There are 13 hospital sites within the eastern zone that offer blood collection, along with a few clinics located in Mi’kmaw communities in Cape Breton.The Cape Breton Regional Hospital handles about 250 blood collections per day.Lori Reid is the director of pathology and laboratory medicine for Nova Scotia Health’s eastern zone. (Erin Pottie/CBC)The vacancy rate for medical laboratory assistants at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital was as high as 55 per cent last year. It’s now projected to be 10 per cent or less by February.She said the Sydney hospital hired 10 new laboratory assistants in the last two months and five to 10 people are soon expected to join them.Reid said the initial shortage of laboratory assistants was caused by things such as people being on various forms of leave or seeking opportunities to retrain or advance their careers.Bill VanGorder, a Nova Scotia seniors’ advocate, said he’s heard from people around the province struggling with long waits for blood tests.VanGorder is the advocacy and education director for CARP Nova Scotia, formerly known as the Canadian Association of Retired Persons. The organization surveyed 1,500 of its members in Atlantic Canada, most of which were from Nova Scotia. Sixty per cent of respondents have had difficulty getting blood collection appointments when they needed them.He said CARP is pleased about the strides in hiring more blood collection staff, but said more work is needed to make sure services are accessible to all.”We hope that this one does not come off their radar and they continue to push that everybody that needs a blood test in Nova Scotia is able to get it, when they need it,” said VanGorder.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORErin Pottie is a CBC reporter based in Sydney. She has been covering local news in Cape Breton for more than 20 years. Story ideas welcome at erin.pottie@cbc.ca.
Blood collection wait times cut in half at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital
