Your digest

Save the date for our next live townhall: Join us on Tues. Oct. 20 at 1 p.m. ET for the next live Q&A with our CEO. Click the meeting link in this Outlook invitation 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.” We look forward to seeing you all there!

Update on flu clinics:

Thank you to everyone who filled out the survey to help us understand interest levels in our flu clinics this year. Although details are still being worked out, we wanted to provide you with an update on our efforts to ensure you have access to the flu vaccine. We have learned that there are delays in securing the vaccine this year and our regular vendor is unable to commit to supporting our onsite flu clinic program at this time. Although this is an issue, we encountered a similar challenge last year and were able to secure vaccines by the end of October.

We are taking a number of steps over the coming weeks to ensure employees are protected this flu season. We have asked to be waitlisted with our regular vendor and in the meantime have reached out to other vendors who can provide this service on a national scope. We have also identified and contacted regional flu vaccine providers who can offer onsite clinics in Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver and the GTA. We are also working with pharmacies to secure vaccines in other locations. More details will be shared with you as they become available, so keep an eye out in Your Digest for updates.

Healthy Workplace Month — Manulife Vitality: Making healthy choices is a key part of disease prevention. To support employees, we’ve added a new perk to our benefits plan! If you are eligible for extended health care coverage with Manulife, you can participate in Manulife Vitality — a digital wellness program that rewards you for making positive health choices. To support your personal wellness goals, the program helps you understand your current health and lifestyle habits. When you make healthy choices, you get rewarded with points to use towards things like gift cards for popular brands and restaurants. To sign up, go to your Manulife Group Benefits account, select “sign up for Manulife Vitality.”. You can also download the Manulife Vitality Group Benefits app on the Apple App Store or Google Play (make sure to choose the “Grp Benefits” option). Becoming a points champion? Let us know on Yammer!

New updates to COVID-19 case management dashboard: To be as transparent as possible the COVID-19 case management dashboard has been updated to reflect a new case involving an employee in Brampton logistics. A reminder that the dashboard available on Connect provides the latest information regarding positive cases of COVID-19 involving Canadian Blood Services employees, volunteers, donors, and third-party contractors. While this tool is an important vehicle to provide information to employees across the country, you should remember that you will only be contacted by public health and/or Canadian Blood Services should you meet public health criteria for exposure. This page also provides you with information on our case management process, so you know what to expect should a positive case arise. Learn more on Connect.

Gratitude prompts kidney recipient to give back to the organ transplant community: Brenda Brown wasted no time getting back on her feet after a lifesaving kidney transplant in 2013. The transplant was made possible at a critical point in her kidney disease progression after her and her daughter registered on Canadian Blood Services’ Kidney Paired Donation program. Shortly after her recovery, she began volunteering with the Canadian Transplant Association, helping to promote healthy lifestyles for transplant recipients. Soon she was the organization’s provincial director for British Columbia, and in 2018 she was named president by the national executive board. She continues to work tirelessly on behalf of organ recipients and donors because, “We have a second chance at life and we make the most of it.” You can read more about her inspiring story — including how she sprang into action when the World Transplant Winter Games came to Alberta in February — on blood.ca/stories.

Question of the day: There was mention of using the Canadian Blood Services Staples account to order items for the home office. Is this still available?

To ensure you have the most options at the best prices, the Staples business account is no longer being promoted to employees.  

When the account was set up by Staples, we noticed that the prices on their “business site” were actually higher than on the public website. For this reason, we are encouraging employees to order directly from Staples ​or other public websites and submit eligible expenses through the funding available in the flexible and virtual work guidelines.

Learn more about how to submit an eligible expense and the flexible and virtual work guidelines on your COVID-19 employee portal.

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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.     

Click here to read past editions of your digest.     

Have questions? Check out blood.ca/employees or email us at communications@blood.ca