Your digest

Guest speaker announced for next live townhall:  With just one week to go, we are excited to share some updates with you regarding our next live event with our CEO on Tuesday, September 15 at 1 p.m. ET. Graham will be joined by Andrew Pateman, VP people, culture and performance. As kids head back to school and commitments both at work and at home ramp up, it is important for us to continue our discussions on resources available to employees. We understand that stress and anxiety are high, so we hope that this event can provide some guidance on supports available to you. 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. Want to submit questions in advance? Send them to communications@blood.ca with the subject line “TOWNHALL.” See you there!

WATCH NOW— Sudbury plasma donor centre welcomes first donors: On August 25, frontline teams in Sudbury welcomed the first donors to our new dedicated plasma donor centre — a historic moment we were able to capture on video to share with you! The new centre is the first of three designed to secure Canada's supply of donated plasma, along with the medicines made from plasma used to treat a growing number of illnesses. Two more plasma donor centres — one in Lethbridge, Alberta and one in Kelowna, B.C. will open within the next year. First to donate at the new centre in Sudbury were the mother and grandmother of nine-year old Heydan Morrison, who relies on medication made from donated plasma to stay healthy. Take a moment to witness this historic moment on blood.ca.

B.C. motorcyclist owes his life to blood donors: Nathan Olson was out with his wife for a ride along the coast when a vehicle hit him at high speed, severing his leg. He’s forever grateful to the 42 donors whose units of blood saved his life. ““I could have the best doctor in the world, but without blood, he could not have saveds my life,” says Nathan. “Donating blood is like standing next to a doctor during a lifesaving surgery and helping out. You’re a part of the surgical team.” A regular O-negative donor himself before the crash, Nathan is already thinking about going back to give. Read more Nathan on blood.ca/stories.

Question of the day: Why do masks need to be worn at all times in common areas at Canadian Blood Service sites and donor events where there is plenty of room for physical distancing?

We, along with the global community are still understanding how COVID-19 is transmitted from one person to another and how the virus lives on different types of surfaces. So, with an abundance of caution we require our teams to wear a mask at all times in common areas at Canadian Blood Services sites. Common areas include meeting rooms, cafeterias (when not eating), bathrooms and other similar spaces.

Why? Without a mask, you may generate droplets which can remain airborne or land on surfaces. And, even though we have enhanced cleaning measures at our sites, we are unable to disinfects common areas each time someone passes through. So, not wearing a mask may put others at risk.

If we all wear masks in our common areas, we can reduce the possibility of contamination. This decision is aligned with the latest advice from public health and allows us to better manage cases of individuals who test positive for COVID-19 who have been in our sites.

We are continuously reviewing the latest information, scientific data and risks to guide our decisions. We will continue to keep employees informed of any new information and how it affects this requirement as it becomes available.

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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