Your digest

Following COVID-19 safety protocols is critical to your health and our ability to meet patient needs:

As we are in the midst of what is being called a “second wave” in many parts of the country, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to rise in many parts of the country. Understanding and following the COVID-19 safety measures in place at Canadian Blood Services is more important than ever to help contain the spread of the virus and keep our teams and operations safe. Recently, we’ve received concerns that some of our safety protocols are not being followed by employees at our sites. This is especially concerning as the number of positive cases involving donors and employees have been increasing over the last few weeks.

It is important that we all do our part to safeguard our teams and ensure we don’t disrupt our critical operations in a way that impacts our ability to serve every patient and match ever need. This means following safety protocols at all times — even when entering and leaving the building, in common areas, and in cafeteria’s and breakroom. To help employees understand the measures in place, we’ve created a new video that will play on Connect TV across our sites. All of our safety and wellness measures including mandatory masks and PPE, physical distancing and barriers, enhanced cleaning, hand hygiene and wellness checkpoints and screening protocols can also be found on blood.ca/wellness. You can also learn more about our case management system and why COVID-19 safety protocols matter on Connect.

Save the date — live Q&A with our CEO:  Please join us on Tues. Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. ET for the next live townhall with our CEO. With just two 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.” Join by clicking on the meeting link in your Outlook invite. We look forward to seeing you all there and to continue these important discussions.  

Big win at Brampton Board of Trade Business Excellence Awards: Congratulations to our team in Brampton for winning a Business Excellence Award from the Brampton Board of Trade! The 2020 Business Excellence Awards took place on Oct. 20, and the team took home the award for best organization in Brampton’s life sciences sector, a category with many other strong nominees. This award distinguishes us as a business leader in the city, while also honouring our commitment to a strong Brampton community. Read more on Connect.

Update on flu clinics: Annual flu shots are the most effective way to help prevent the spread of the virus, and another way you can help save lives. To help make getting vaccinated as easy as possible, we are working on bringing pharmacists in to offer free flu shots at Canadian Blood Services sites. Despite vaccine delays and shortages in many provinces; Loblaws Pharmacy has confirmed that they will be able to support onsite flu vaccination at some of our locations. We are currently working with their local pharmacists and site contacts to coordinate dates and registration. Registration will open as sites are confirmed; clinics will be scheduled between now and December. These clinics will be open to all employees, including those who are currently virtual. Stay tuned for details about registration at participating sites, and be sure to visit our wellness portal for more information on staying healthy this flu season.

Question of the day: With all of our COVID-19 safety measures, are we still distributing milestone pins to donors?

One of the ways we express our gratitude to donors is through our national donor recognition program. As a donor, when you reach a donation milestone, we make a point of acknowledging your contribution, whether with a pin, a card, a certificate or other items of appreciation.

These pins were customarily offered to donors in-person mostly by our donor centre volunteers. However, since the outbreak of COVID-19, to reduce the contact between individuals, donors will now be offered their milestone pin during the screening stage of their donation appointment by a donor centre team member.

Even during these challenging times, we are making sure donors to receive a token of our appreciation for the contributions made to saving and improving patient lives in Canada. If you have any questions about this program, please contact communications@blood.ca.

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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