Your digest

A message from our CEO: Earlier today, you received an email with a video message from Graham with an update on our organization’s preparedness as we enter what is being called a second wave of COVID-19. He briefly overviews what we know about the latest research, how our operations and enhanced safety measures are holding up and supports available for employees. Watch the video and learn more on Connect.

An update on flu clinics: Our healthy workplace team is planning on offering onsite flu vaccinations again this year, pending availability of the vaccine. To do so will take careful planning to ensure bookings are appropriately spaced and our COVID-19 safety requirements are met. For this reason, we ask that you complete this short survey so we can understand the interest at each of our sites. In the meantime, you can visit the Government of Canada website to learn more about the flu and where to get a vaccine in your province.  

Healthy Workplace Month: October is Healthy Workplace Month; and it is more important than ever to pause and recognize its significance. Our theme, Nurturing a Thriving and Healthy Workplace is focused on empowering you to make wellbeing a priority and collectively support your colleagues to do the same. Starting this week, we will launch new tools, resources and events to help you truly prioritize your wellbeing in the workplace. To help guide you through your journey, each week we will focus on different areas of wellbeing. Learn more about what to expect and sign up for events by visiting Connect.

Tracking the prevalence of COVID-19 at top speed: It was a Friday night in June when Craig Jenkins, senior manager of product and process development at the Centre for Innovation got the urgent call from Dr. Chantale Pambrun, director of the Centre for Innovation. “She asks, ‘What’s the likelihood we can test 10,000 samples in the first week?’” The next morning, they clocked 14-hour days all week to meet the target for Canada’s first study to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies in Canadians’ blood. “There’s always a way to get something done if you want to bad enough,” Jenkins says. “We knew this was a way we at Canadian Blood Services could help, and in those first weeks, we determined that we would do what we needed to make it happen.” Since that first week, the lab, which now has four staff, has been running an average of 2,400 tests per day. It wasn’t easy, though — learn more on blood.ca/stories.

Question of the day: Do always I need to wear my mask when I am in the cafeteria on site?

Employees are required to wear face masks at all times when inside Canadian Blood Services sites.

In our cafeteria’s employees may remove their masks to eat only. This means that if you are doing tasks in the cafeteria other than eating, including ordering lunch, warming your food, getting water, or taking something out of the fridge — you must wear a mask.

The use of masks reduces the possibility of contamination, is aligned with the latest advice from public health and allows us to protect the safety of our employees and our essential operations. This requirement will be enforced as needed.

If you have questions about this requirement, please visit your COVID-19 employee portal or 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