Your digest
Save the date — live townhall with our CEO: Please join us on Wed. Jan. 20 at 1 p.m. ET for the next live townhall with our CEO. With a couple weeks to go, planning is underway. Let us know what topics and questions are top of mind for you by emailing us at communications@blood.ca with the subject line “TOWNHALL.” An Outlook invite with the meeting link will be sent this week. We look forward to seeing you all there and to continue these important discussions.
This January we’re talking about mental health: Mental health and support are vital to employee wellbeing. Ever-changing regional lockdowns, the health of our family and commitments at home and at work continue to weigh heavy on us as we navigate the pandemic. Leading up to Bell Let’s Talk Day on Jan. 28, we will be highlighting the resources available to you; as well as new platforms to support important conversations around mental health. You will also start to see a new line on your paystub under employee contributions called “EAP”. This is to serve as a gentle reminder that help is available through your employee assistance program (EAP), including access to licensed therapists. Your wellness is a priority and we are here to support you. To learn more about the resources available, visit Connect.
Reflecting on acts of kindness as we start the new year: As we head into 2021, many of us are focusing on our intentions and resolutions for the year ahead. While 2020 is a year many of us would like to forget — it challenged us to connect with and support our communities in new ways. Despite the odds, donors across the country continued to show up and demonstrate incredible acts of kindness in support of the patients we serve. As we focus on positive beginnings, we hope you will take a moment to read some of the inspiring stories of resilience from 2020. Read more on blood.ca/stories.
Question of the day: What do we know about the new UK variant of COVID-19 being reported in the news? Is there a concern that it may impact our operations?
Canadian Blood Services is aware that a new variant of COVID-19 has been identified. SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA (Ribonucleic acid) virus, and mutations arise naturally as the virus replicates. Many thousands of mutations have already arisen, and most have no apparent effect on the risk posed by the virus to human health.
Mutations to the COVID-19 virus continue to be carefully monitored, along with any potential impact on human health. It is unknown if this new variant is more dangerous. For example, although this variant may be more transmissible, it is not thought that it causes more serious disease in infected individuals.
Current evidence and risk modelling suggest that SARS-CoV-2 virus is not transmissible through blood and blood products. This includes plasma protein products, which are pharmaceutical therapies made from plasma — a component of blood.
Nonetheless, Canadian Blood Services has strict measures in place for the continued safety of our products and services related to blood, plasma, stem cells, and organs and tissues, and to address the health of our employees, volunteers and donors. In addition, manufacturers of plasma protein products routinely use added safety steps in their manufacturing process that inactivate or remove viruses.
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