Your Digest

Olympic spirit spreads to off-season blood donations

The Olympic spirit means knowing that as an athlete your individual performance isn’t the most important thing. That couldn’t be more true for Andrea Proske, who won Olympic gold for Canada in the women’s coxed eight rowing event in Tokyo last July. Getting to the top took years of hard work and sacrifice, and in Andrea’s case, it meant giving up donating blood regularly — an important commitment she’s made since she was a teenager. Recently, seasonal breaks in her training regime — and pandemic-related lockdowns — have given her an opportunity to donate blood again. And she’s thrilled. Read more about her journey as both a blood donor and Olympic athlete on Connect.

Celebrating the families at the heart of Canada’s Lifeline

As several Canadian provinces prepare for Family Day, we’re celebrating families of all shapes, sizes and experiences, who help us support patients. Think of the teenager cheering on her aunt’s 101st blood donation while donating herself for the first time, or the family auctioning art as a fundraiser. We celebrate the mother who donated her new baby's stem cells and the extended family of 15 who donated as part of their holiday celebrations. We frequently bear witness to some truly lifesaving family traditions. Read more at blood.ca/stories.

On Wednesday, we wear pink

Pink Shirt Day raises awareness about ending bullying in our schools, workplaces and homes and reminds us about the importance of respect and kindness. Demonstrate your commitment to nurturing a respectful and inclusive environment by wearing pink on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Share your #PinkShirtDay photos on Yammer and show us how you and your team demonstrate our value of respect. At Canadian Blood Services, respect in the workplace is a fundamental expectation of everyone, both in demonstrating it and in fully expecting to receive it. You can find resources for you and your family on supporting positive relationships and managing conflict effectively, along with mental health and wellness supports through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and LifeSpeak (password: thrive).

Bidding farewell to our chief information officer

Whether improving the user experience for employees, donors or hospital colleagues, Ralph Michaelis has led the IT team to many innovations and improvements that enabled Canadian Blood Services to work more efficiently. Long before we could have imagined the entire workforce going remote, Ralph was setting us up to be a successful digital workplace. After a decade of improving the organization’s digital footprint, Ralph Michaelis will be retiring in June 2022 to pursue his other passions — woodworking and spending time with his family.

If you want to submit a “shout-out” of thanks to Ralph, or any of your colleagues, fill out this short form or send an email to communications@blood.ca with the subject line “SHOUT-OUT” and tell us who you want to recognize and why.

Casting call: Looking for donors and recipients

Our marketing team is looking for real donors and recipients who are part of Canada’s Lifeline to tell their story and inspire others. If you or someone you know has been impacted as a blood, plasma, stem cells, or organ/tissue recipient or donor, and you’d like to share your story, check out the casting call here.

Question of the day: I’ve noticed that the N95 masks feel very tight on my face compared to the surgical masks that many of us were wearing. Does that mean it’s the wrong size for me?

The N95 masks should feel noticeably more snug than a surgical or cloth mask that many of us are used to wearing. However, N95 masks work best when they form a tight seal around your mouth and nose. This tight seal is what helps N95s filter air more effectively than surgical masks and cloth masks. It is normal for a N95 to feel tighter than a surgical mask or cloth mask and it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the wrong size.

We are currently in the process of acquiring additional makes and models of N95 masks that are made to offer better fit for individuals with smaller or larger faces. Those are expected to be available across the country in early March. In the interim, if you find an N95 too uncomfortable to wear, you may use other options that are available to you, such as surgical or cloth masks. You can also watch this video to get more details about fitting your N95 mask.

 

 

About Your Digest

This digest highlights the latest policy and employee support measures, resources to help you manage our new reality and original content to remind us that what we do matters. This information 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.