Your digest
Save the date for the next townhall with our CEO: Join us live on Tuesday, Feb. 23 for the next townhall with our CEO, Dr. Graham Sher. To send a question in advance, please email us at communications@blood.ca with the subject line “TOWNHALL.” To participate, click the Teams meeting link in your Outlook invite. We look forward to continuing these important discussions with you.
New web pages spotlight the plasma protein and related products formulary program: A series of new pages have been added detailing Canadian Blood Services’ role in providing plasma protein and related products to hospitals across Canada for use by clinicians and their patients in all provinces and territories (except Quebec). Visit these pages to learn about these vital products and understand how the program works and the value it brings to health-care systems. Learn more about what a formulary is and how it's managed and maintained, including the process and criteria for how products may be added to or removed from the formulary. These new web pages are part of a multi-year project to modernize the formulary program. Learn more about the program on blood.ca.
Week one of your Winter Wellness Challenge — creating healthy habits: Building a routine into your day can help support healthy habits and reduce overall stress — while also earning you extra points for the Winter Wellness Challenge. Radhika Giacopello, brand ambassador and wellness champion, is a people, culture and performance coordinator in Brampton, Ont. She sat down with us for a Q&A about her goals for week one and to offer some tips and suggestions on ways you can help boost your overall well-being. Read more on Connect.
Too few potential stem cell donors are Black. She’s working to change that: A recent biochemistry graduate from Regina, Sask. is leading a virtual Black History Month campaign to encourage Black Canadians to become stem cell donors. Sylvia Okonofua is the president and founder of the University of Regina’s chapter of Stem Cell Club. The club is on a mission to increase the diversity of prospective donors. As of January 2021, Black people made up fewer than two per cent of registrants. “As a Black woman, it was really heartbreaking to see,” says Sylvia. “It was really frustrating to know that a patient from my community is so much less likely than other patients to be helped.” Read more on blood.ca/stories.
Question of the day: The Ontario government announced that they were postponing March Break until the week of April 12. I had booked time off in March to spend time with my kids — can I reschedule this vacation time to correspond with the new school break?
The Ontario government recently announced it will postpone March Break in public schools until the week of April 12, 2021. This decision is intended to keep students safe and limit community spread of COVID-19.
To support impacted employees, Canadian Blood Services is making an exception to our vacation policy:
Employees in Ontario who have vacation time approved for the week of March 15–19, 2021, to spend time with their children during the school break, may defer their vacation to April 12–16, 2021, subject to operational requirements.
This exception does not apply to employees in other provinces where school breaks haven’t been postponed in response to COVID-19. Nor does it apply to employees in Ontario who do not have family members in elementary and/or secondary schools.
If you work in Ontario, are impacted by the government change to March break and want to change your booked vacation, we encourage you to speak with your manager to receive support.
People leaders received an email yesterday with instructions on how best to support their teams through this decision. If you have any questions, please contact your PCP business partner.
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About your digest
This 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. No access to email? No problem — all this information and more can be found on blood.ca/employees from any device, no login required.
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Have questions? Check out blood.ca/employees or email us at communications@blood.ca