Daily COVID-19 digest

​Cord blood collection in Edmonton resumes July 13: Aligned with the public health decision to ease COVID-19 restrictions in most parts of Alberta, we will resume cord blood collection in Edmonton on Monday, July 13, 2020.  We recognize and understand there may be concerns about the health and safety of mothers. We are committed to working with hospitals to ensure mothers have a safe and rewarding donor experience. We continue to work closely with hospitals, provincial and territorial partners and the Public Health Agency of Canada to determine when to resume cord blood collection in Ottawa and Vancouver. We will share more updates about cord blood collection in the coming weeks. Learn more on Connect.

Sidewalk art boosts spirits and blood donations: After seeing a sidewalk chalk portrait by Lethbridge artist Brittany Lewis, Canadian Blood Services event coordinator Cinnamon Meldrum had an inspiring idea. She found local recipients of blood products willing to have their portraits done in sidewalk chalk. She also identified local community partners who could “host” Brittany and her artwork and promote blood donation on social media. Brittany is now completing a series of 12 chalk drawings for Canadian Blood Services on select sidewalks across the city.  She says, “It’s an honour to be involved in this project. Not many artists get an opportunity to create something that the public walks by every day. And the fact that it’s for such a good cause – donating blood – somehow takes it to a higher level.” Read more, and see some of Brittany's beautiful work, on blood.ca.

Question of the day: Regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion assessment, I have some important things to share about my experience at Canadian Blood Services. How will you ensure that there won’t be any retaliation for sharing these things and how will this information be used?

The survey and interviews are fully anonymous and confidential and will be done by a third-party firm - Feminuity. Even though your responses will not be linked to you, Feminuity will be able to analyze the results and present aggregated output that does not link back to any individual.

To build a diverse and inclusive organization, we need to understand the employee experience, and that starts with understanding how people from all backgrounds feel. If you feel you have more to say, you can opt to schedule an interview with Feminuity. Your honest feedback in the assessment will be appreciated.

To complete the survey or schedule an interview with Feminuity go to Connect.

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About the daily digest

This daily digest will highlight the latest policy and employee support measures, resources to help you manage our new reality and original content like articles and videos to remind us that what we do matters. Things are moving quickly, so you can expect to hear from us daily. No access to email? No problem — all this information and more can be found on blood.ca/employees from any device, no login required.

Click here to read past editions of the daily digest.

Have questions? Check out blood.ca/employees or email us at communications@blood.ca.