Daily COVID-19 digest
Thank you for your participation:
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for the live Q&A today. In the current climate, these discussions are more important than ever. We hope that you found it engaging and that you left the conversation with a better understanding of how our organization is responding to these critical issues. Please let us know what you thought about the event by taking a moment to fill out this short survey (one minute). Your input is valuable and helps us improve your experience. If you couldn’t attend, you can access a recording of the event on your COVID-19 employee portal.
We will be making a slight adjustment to the frequency of our next townhall. Two weeks from today, on Tuesday June 23, our board will be holding its first fully virtual open board meeting. This is a chance for our board and EMT to engage and hear from key stakeholders across Canada and for employees to observe the board as they continue to set the direction for our organization. More information about how to participate in the open board meeting will be shared soon, in addition to information on our next townhall.
Stories from National Blood Donor Week: During National Blood Donor Week we are celebrating donors for their generosity and commitment and sharing the stories of the lives they have touched. Jenn Lanteigne’s first donation came at a time when COVID-19 forced people in Canada and around the world into isolation. Knowing some people might be afraid to leave their homes to donate, Jenn felt it was more important than ever to book that first appointment. Jenn says “from the time I left home, donated blood and got back, it was less than an hour. It’s such a simple and speedy process. My next appointment is booked for July 9th”. Read and share Jenn’s story on your social channels using the hashtags #NBDW2020 and #CanadasLifeline to inspire your own community to donate blood. Stay tuned for more incredible stories all week long.
Stories from our frontline: Through the pandemic, technical field support analyst Connie Chan is providing IT support for donor centres, a production site and colleagues working from home. She says “This is really meaningful work for me. When I was training here many years ago, the trainer said to me that you need to always remember there is somebody at the other end receiving a product that saves their life. That’s something I remember every day. Although I don’t touch the blood donations, my work does help patients”. Read more about Connie’s story on blood.ca/stories.
Question of the day: There seems to be a growing body of evidence that the disease caused by COVID-19 is not so much a respiratory disease but a blood vessel disease; does this affect our confidence that this disease is not transmissible by blood donation?
The evidence continues to support that the virus which causes COVID-19 is not transmissible through the transfusion of blood. The organization has a multidisciplinary team which keeps current on the evolving scientific evidence and CBS adapts according (e.g., donor questionnaire and selection criteria). We are confident in the safety of the blood supply and we continue to monitor the system.
About the daily digest
This daily 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. Things are moving quickly, so you can expect to hear from us daily. 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 the daily digest.
Have questions? Check out blood.ca/employees or email us at communications@blood.ca.