Your Digest
Join us for the last CEO town hall of 2022 on Wednesday, Dec. 7
Our next live town hall event is this Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 1–2 p.m. ET. Our CEO, Dr. Graham Sher, will be joined by guest panelist, Dr. Isra Levy, VP, medical affairs and innovation. Please submit questions in advance to communications@blood.ca with the subject line ‘TOWN HALL’ or use this anonymous form. You can also submit questions live during the event after joining with the meeting link in your Outlook invitation.
Blood donors helped save her life — now childhood cancer survivor makes all the difference by paying it forward
When Lara Turner was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, the same cancer that took the life of Terry Fox, blood donors helped her beat it — she’s now five years cancer free. Now, in addition to planning a career to help children with life-threatening illnesses, she’s also sharing her story to inspire and educate others. Paying it forward is now part of her incredible life. This October, Lara donated blood for the first time. “Knowing that I was helping someone else in need felt so powerful,” she says. “The process was so easy, and everyone there was so amazing in making me feel welcome and appreciated.” Read more of Lara’s story on blood.ca.
12 days of wellness in December
Through greater self-awareness, introspection and support, we may learn that our winter needs can be quite different than our summer needs. Through this understanding, we can be more prepared to care for ourselves when the days turn cold. To better support and enhance your winter well-being this upcoming season, we have developed a specially curated 12 Days of Wellness offering. Register and from Dec. 5–20 you'll receive daily tips, take part in a seasonal webinar and be entered to win swag when you engage on Yammer. Read more on Connect.
Question of the day
I’m having trouble understanding why we made an agreement with Grifols. I’m worried I’m going to be asked about it and will not know what to say. Where can I find more information?
We get it — and you’re not alone. While we’ve always managed Canada’s supply of immunoglobulins and other medications through our national formulary program, the ongoing global shortage of immunoglobulins and plasma needed to make them is important and we all have a role to play. These medications are in demand for a growing number of conditions, but plasma collection worldwide is not keeping up. To address the shortage, we’re opening more dedicated plasma donor centres and working to collect more plasma at our blood donor centres. We’ve also signed an agreement with Grifols to further increase plasma collection and have immunoglobulins made in Canada, exclusively for patients in this country.
To support employees and help build understanding, we’ve created a new community on Yammer, Plasma for immunoglobulins. Join the community to find helpful files you can download, links to more in-depth information online and to have a place where you can see others’ questions and ask your own, too.
We encourage you to join the conversation and learn from each other as we work together to ensure patients in Canada continue to have access to the lifesaving medications they need.
