Your digest

TODAY — Join Graham for a live townhall at 1 p.m. ET:  Please join us today for a live Q&A with our CEO and special guest, Andrew Pateman, VP people, culture and performance.  We hope that this event provides some insight into employee supports available to you and serves as an opportunity to continue our important conversations on diversity, equity and inclusion. Click the meeting link in your Outlook invite to join live; and if you can’t make it check-out the event recording on your COVID-19 employee portal.  We look forward to seeing you all there.

How we help patients with rare blood: Many people know about the ABO blood groups. But most don’t realize that blood type is far more complicated, thanks to the hundreds of antigens on the surface of every person’s red blood cells. Patients with an unusual profile rely on our expertise to properly match them with lifesaving blood products. Learn how our employees across the country work together to help them at blood.ca/stories.

Breakthrough study uses AI to analyze red blood cells: You can tell a lot about a red blood cell from its shape, and artificial intelligence can be used to analyze that better and faster — for the potential benefit of both patients and blood operators worldwide. That’s the finding of a study recently published in the prestigious journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Scientists. One of the study’s lead authors was Dr. Jason Acker, a senior scientist at Canadian Blood Services’ Centre for Innovation. Read more on blood.ca/stories.

Question of the day: Will I be able to claim quarantine leave if my child is sent home from school because of COVID-related reasons?

As kids head back to school we know that parents, teachers and caregivers are managing a lot of uncertainty. It is important that we continue to offer support for employees who cannot perform their duties because they, or someone they live with, are required to stay home by public health, or are immune compromised.

We will continue to make quarantine leave available to all employees who cannot perform their duties either virtually or otherwise and have made reasonable attempts to access alternative care in the following circumstances:

• You are directed to stay home by public health because you, or someone you live with, has tested positive for COVID-19 or is awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test.
• You, your child, or someone you are a primary caregiver for, has been instructed by public health to quarantine for being in in contact with someone who has tested positive for, or may be presumptive for COVID-19.
• If you are immune compromised or live with someone who is immune compromised.
• If you live with someone who is immune compromised, including elderly individuals, and who choose not to send their children to school as a result.

We encourage you to speak with your managers if you have any questions about accessing quarantine leave. For more information on all employee supports, including how to access caregiver leave for circumstances related to back-to-school, visit your COVID-19 employee portal.

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