Your Digest

Here are the latest updates from Canadian Blood Services. Due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 environment, we will be publishing Your Digest three times a week during February: on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Please reach out to communications@blood.ca with your questions and suggestions on how we can better inform and support you.  

Black fraternity and sorority step up to support Canada’s Lifeline 

Black registrants make up fewer than two per cent of prospective donors on Canadian Blood Services Stem Cell Registry, but two predominantly Black organizations in Toronto, Ont. are trying to change that. For four years, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the Lambda Mu Mu Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity have rallied Black individuals in the Toronto area to donate blood and join the stem cell registry. Read about how these Partners for Life are bettering their community on blood.ca/stories and explore more stories, events and resources celebrating Black History Month on Connect. 

Newly eligible employee donates blood for the first time 

Jen McKay, manager of donor experience, has been working for years to improve donor experience at Canadian Blood Services but hadn’t been able to experience being a donor herself — until this week. Following Health Canada’s recent approval to update blood donation eligibility criteria related to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), Jen was thrilled to donate blood for the first time. Before joining Canadian Blood Services 15 years ago, she worked in Europe, including five years in Switzerland. Her time there had made her ineligible to donate blood. “I’ve always felt I was missing out by not being able to have that first-hand experience of being a blood donor. Especially since my blood type is O-negative, which is always in high demand.” Read Jen’s story and how this change will impact Canada’s Lifeline. 

Join us for some fun, interactive events during Employee Appreciation Week 

Employee Appreciation Week is coming up, from Feb. 28–March 4. As one way to celebrate, the people, culture and performance division will be hosting a few interactive events to break up your week and help you get to know some of your fellow employees. Register and participate in one of our Eventology virtual games nights on Feb. 28 or March 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET where you can match your wits against your colleagues. Test your game show skills and register for some fun. 

Then, on March 3 from 7–8 p.m. ET, we will be showcasing employee talents in our first-ever coffee house. Do you play music, sing, write poems or stories? Are you a photographer, painter or chef? Share your creative passion with colleagues. You can submit a short video, images or audio clips to showcase what matters to you as part of your life balance. Reach out to christina.warrysh@blood.ca for more details about how to be involved in this collaborative and creative employee celebration. 

Question of the day: Will we return to allowing walk-in donation appointments as COVID-19 restrictions continue being lifted throughout the country? We have safety precautions in place, so why not allow walk-ins considering there is an immediate need for donors? 

Although some provinces have announced plans to lift restrictions, at this time, we do not anticipate making any changes to our COVID-19 measures currently in place, including physical distancing. As part of balancing the maintenance of COVID-19 safety measures with ensuring a healthy blood inventory, we have been promoting same-day appointments to donors.  

Many of our fixed and mobile events have same day appointments available, due to last-minute cancellations. This approach provides us with the opportunity to fill those openings while still allowing space for physical distancing. As always, we continue to monitor and assess any potential actions.   

 

About Your Digest

This digest highlights the latest policy and employee support measures, resources to help you manage our new reality and original content to remind us that what we do matters. This information can be found on blood.ca/employees from any device, no login required.

Click here to read past editions of your digest. 

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