Your digest

Report your COVID-19 vaccination status by Sept. 22

As we move towards a fully-vaccinated workplace by Oct. 31, we require all employees to report their vaccination status using a new, secure app on Mobile Employee Direct Assistance starting Sept. 13. The link will be live as of 2:00 p.m. ET on September 10 for those who would like to report their status early. Submitting your information through the COVID-19/My COVID-19 Vaccine app should take less than 10 minutes. Read an overview on Connect, and for more detail, visit the new vaccine policy page on the employee portal.

Why blood donations are crucial for patients with sepsis

Blood components are a lifesaving part of treatment for many people who develop sepsis, a life-threatening illness that is caused by the body’s overreaction to an infection. This type of emergency can happen to anyone, but Christine Caron, a mother of four in Ottawa, Ont., never imagined it would happen to her. After complications from a dog bite nearly ended her life, Christine is now working hard to raise awareness about sepsis – as well as the important role of donated blood in the recovery of patients. “People need to know about sepsis and they need to know about the role that blood plays,” says Christine, who is encouraging people to donate blood in honour of World Sepsis Day on Sept.13. Read Christine’s incredible story of survival on blood.ca/stories.

Cord blood donor celebrates the chance to save a life  

As World Marrow Donor Day approaches on Sept. 18, we are celebrating the vital role of all stem cell donors who help us support patients, including unrelated donors, family donors, cord blood donors, and registrants who are on the global registry waiting to donate. Today, we’re sharing a story about a simple act of kindness by a family in Edmonton, Alta., that helped deliver hope to a patient in need. Before her son Nixon was born five years ago, Kelsey Koch registered to donate his umbilical cord blood. A few years later, just after giving birth to her second child, Kelsey received a letter from Canadian Blood Services. “When I opened the mail, I saw a certificate informing us that our donated cord blood unit was shipped to a patient,” says Kelsey. “I got very emotional. I was overwhelmed knowing that my son had potentially made a difference in someone’s life.” Read Kelsey’s story on blood.ca/stories and stay tuned for more inspiring stories in the week ahead. 

Questions of the Day: Vaccination Policy

In the interest of responding to your important questions about Canadian Blood Services’ new vaccine policy in a timely way, we’re using the regular ‘Question of the Day’ section of Your Digest to respond to several of your questions at once.

Q: For the new vaccination policy, what constitutes a legitimate human rights exemption? 

Aside from legitimate medical reasons, the only other ground under human rights legislation where we anticipate possible accommodation to occur is for religious purposes.

For a legitimate issue to arise, the employee will need to demonstrate that a sincerely held belief, connected to their religion, is preventing them from being vaccinated. This assessment will be performed on a case-by-case basis, but in understanding whether the reason is legitimate, the employee will be required to demonstrate proof, which includes support and justification from their religious leader. Exemption requests for non-medical reasons (i.e. an employee’s religious belief, practice or observance) will be assessed and evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and in accordance with provincial human rights codes and case law.

If you have a need (or have questions) related to being accommodated due to reasons protected under human rights laws, please contact Employee Health Services (EHS) at ehs@blood.ca.    

Q: What happens if I report that I am unvaccinated and do not intend to seek vaccination?   

Being fully vaccinated will be a condition of working for Canadian Blood Services. By October 31, 2021, we expect all Canadian Blood Services employees (except those with a medical or human rights exception), including fee-for-service contractors, to be fully vaccinated (meaning two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine).    

Any employee who has not demonstrated intent to be vaccinated (either partially or fully) by October 31, 2021, will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence for 10 days.

During this 10-day unpaid leave of absence, Canadian Blood Services will do whatever we can to address any outstanding questions or concerns around the vaccine. We will support (to the extent that is reasonable) all employees with challenges they’ve experienced toward being vaccinated.

After this 10-day unpaid leave of absence, employees who still choose not to receive a COVID-19 vaccination will be terminated from employment at Canadian Blood Services.

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About your digest

This digest highlights 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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