Daily COVID-19 digest

Stories from our frontline: Ryan Elgert is leading a team of warehouse staff and drivers through the pandemic in Calgary. His team handles the products and equipment needed to run donor centres, and the blood products hospitals require. “When I first thought about coming to work here….it was more about the day-to-day responsibilities that appealed to me” says Ryan. “But as you continue in the job, you think more about the patients you're helping”. Read more about Ryan’s story on blood.ca/stories.

Cord blood collection in Brampton resumes Monday: We are excited to share that we will resume cord blood collection in Brampton on June 22, 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, Canadian Blood Services’ Cord Blood Bank suspended cord blood collections at our four collection hospitals in Ottawa, Brampton, Edmonton and Vancouver. The suspension was guided by the recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the increasing hospital restrictions to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19. We continue to work closely with hospitals, as well as monitor information from provincial and territorial partners, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada to determine when to resume cord blood collection in our other locations. We will share more updates in the coming weeks. Learn more about how we are resuming cord blood operations on blood.ca

Wellness Wednesday — S.T.O.P and meditate: Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been bringing you our Wellness Wednesday video series. This initiative, created for staff, by staff, aims to share practical wellness tips, resources and challenges to help keep employees well. With many of us feeling the weight of the current climate, taking a moment to release stress is more important than ever. That is why this week we are bringing back a video we released at the beginning of our series, S.T.O.P and mediate. Christina Warrysh, a certified counsellor and wellness specialist shows us how to create space in the day to stop and calm down your worried mind through a practical, five-minute meditation called the S.T.O.P practice for stress. When we get back to the present, we’re more likely to gain perspective and see that we have the power to regulate our response to pressure.

Question of the day: How are the decisions regarding diversity taken? Is there a diversity committee in place? If so, is it composed of members of the different minorities?

At the moment, we do not have a committee in place. At the same time, we believe that it will be important to consult with employees from underrepresented groups when shaping our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Over the coming months we will be using various methods to solicit employee input ranging from an anonymous employee survey addressing diversity, equity and inclusion to, opportunities for one-on-one interviews and focus groups.

Based on this information we will be exploring the most effective ways to incorporate employee voices on an ongoing basis such as setting up employee resource groups. These groups would help foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment and serve to inform the decisions that are made by the DEI program sponsors.

If you are interested in helping us shape this work, please send an email to katie.obrien@blood.ca

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.