Your digest

May 14, 2021

We want to make it easy for employees to access the latest from Canadian Blood Services.  Every Tuesday and Friday, we will be bringing you important COVID-19 updates along with valuable information and inspiring stories about other parts of our operations.

We know things are rapidly changing; please remember you can always reach out to communications@blood.ca with your questions and suggestions on how we can better help employees.

Here is the latest.

See past digests

My COVID-19 vaccination story: Toufic, Rhonda and Jacqueline

As efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 continue across the country, many employees have come forward to share their vaccination experience in the hopes of inspiring others to do the same. In today’s installment, we hear from Toufic Abi Farraj, an analyst with infrastructure lifecycle in Ottawa, Ont.; Rhonda Krahn, a donor centre supervisor in Saskatoon, Sask.; and Jacqueline Alain, a territory manager in Saint John, N.B., who all recently received their first vaccination. Read these stories on Connect and explore some of the other submissions in our series. 

Starting next week, we’ll begin sharing stories from those who have received both doses of a vaccine. If you are considered fully vaccinated and would like to share your story, please reach out to communications@blood.ca with the subject line “MY VACCINE STORY.” 

International stem cell donation inspires long-distance friendship

In December, we shared a story about Michael Wark, a young man from Red Deer, Alta. who underwent a stem cell transplant in 2018 to treat an aggressive form of cancer. Since then, he has gone into full remission and has had the chance to connect with the stem cell donor from Germany who helped save his life. Read more on blood.ca about the unique, long-distance friendship that Michael has formed with his donor, Christiane, and how the two have teamed up to inspire more people to join the stem cell registry.

Save the date for our next live townhall — and send us your video or voicemail questions!

Join us on Wednesday, June 2 at 1 p.m. ET for the next townhall with our CEO. Once again, we will be shaking up how we take questions from our audience. In addition to receiving questions through the traditional live chat, employee questions can again be submitted by video or voicemail. More details on the June townhall will be shared in the coming week – but as always, we encourage you to submit questions about any topics that are top of mind for you.

To submit a video recording of your question:

  • Using a smart phone or computer, record your question in 30 seconds or less and send to communications@blood.ca by Friday, May 28.
  • Only questions that include your first name, role and location will be submitted.

To submit an audio recording of your question via voicemail:

  • Call 1-800-509-3329 and record your question in 30 seconds or less by Friday, May 28.
  • Only questions that include your first name, role and location will be submitted.

As always, you can also email your written questions to communications@blood.ca

Participate by clicking on the meeting link in your Outlook invite. Can’t make it live? A recording of the event will be available on your COVID-19 employee portal within 24 hours.

Question of the day: I received the first dose of the AstraZeneca Vaxzevria® vaccine. With the recent news that some provinces are putting a pause on offering this vaccine, should I be concerned? 

We know this news may be troubling for employees who have received the AstraZeneca Vaxzevria® vaccine. The vaccine situation in Canada continues to evolve daily. We thank all employees who have taken up local opportunities to get vaccinated and continue to encourage our teams to register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in their area when eligible. Employees should closely monitor guidance from their region and public health authority to stay informed on the latest developments related to vaccine availability.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has been asked to provide direction on mixing and matching different brands of vaccine for first and second doses. Our team will be monitoring guidance from public health, healthcare professionals and scientists in the coming days to understand how those who have received the vaccine can receive their second dose. Please continue to follow blood.ca/employees/vaccines for the latest information.  

Vaccination against COVID-19 is a top priority for our employees. Please continue to take advantage of vaccine opportunities available in your area to protect yourself and those around you.  

Have you received the COVID-19 vaccine? Do you plan to when eligible?

 

 

 

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.    

Click here to read past editions of your digest.    

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