This digest is an opportunity to reflect on and acknowledge our collective efforts to improve the OTDT system for the benefit of all Canadians. Please share with your colleagues and invite them to subscribe. You may unsubscribe at anytime. Send contributions, comments and suggestions to otdt@blood.ca
Congratulations to the athletes, supporters, organizers and volunteers of the Canadian Transplant Games!
Canadian Blood Services was honoured to be a title sponsor of the 2024 Canadian Transplant Games. This national sporting event is the ultimate showcase of the power of organ donation. Held every two years unless a pandemic gets in the way, the Canadian Transplant Games is the premiere athletic celebration of sport for the transplant community from across the country. Held in Ottawa this year, the games were a huge success! Watch a recap of events below.
Canadian Transplant Games 2024 - Highlights Reel (Vimeo)
Living Donation Week returns September 8-14 to raise awareness and improve access and equity in living organ donation, celebrate living donors and their recipients, caregivers, and transplant teams, and to give hope to those who are currently waiting for a transplant.
Events will be happening across the country throughout the week, including:
#ShareTheLight landmarks across the country light up green
Yorkville Village living donation art display all week
Great Actions Leave a Mark celebration event
Finding a Living Donor Sessions in person and online
Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Transplantation: A Global Perspective Conference
Do you have college or university students in your network looking to host organ donation awareness events at their school? We've created a free event kit containing promotion materials to support hosts that include everything they'll need:
Host guide
Digital resources - social media posts, presentation decks, videos etc.
Event posters
Swag and giveaway items - t-shirts, lanyards, journals
Coming Soon: "Orgtober" Organ Donation Education Month
We’re excited to bring Orgtober to Canada this fall, and we need your help! Orgtober, formerly known as October, will be sweeping into primary school classrooms and calendars across the country. While the normal education curriculum will not be affected, this supplementary campaign seeks to breathe new life into organ donation education by starting earlier, getting more families talking, celebrating the fundamental values that underpin organ donation (kindness, compassion and inclusivity), and having loads of fun while doing all of this!
Join us at this year’s Critical Care Canada Forum in Toronto for the Deceased Donation Stream! The Deceased Donation Stream is scheduled for Monday afternoon, November 18 and Tuesday morning, November 19 at the Sheraton Toronto (located at 123 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ont.). The Deceased Donation Stream is an integral part of the Critical Care Canada Forum and is a unique opportunity to learn and connect with others in the field of deceased donation. More details about the Deceased Donation Stream will soon be announced. Information about the broader Critical Care Canada Forum (November 17-20) can be found on their website (Event Program). We hope to see you there!
Canadian Clinical Guide to Organ Donation – A Curriculum for health-care professionals
Why is this curriculum important?
Organ donation is an uncommon event and due in part to its rarity, many frontline health-care providers have identified this as an important topic for ongoing education. This curriculum provides an opportunity for self-paced learning on key topics throughout the donation pathway and it includes best practice recommendations, thoughtful patient and family input and the most up-to-date organ donation science research. Learners will receive a certificate of completion at the end of each module that can be used for professional accreditation purposes. Learn more
Green Shirt Day 2025 t-shirt design contest
Green Shirt Day is calling all Canadians who have been touched by organ donation to submit their designs for the 2025 Green Shirt Day t-shirt. The winning design will be chosen by a nominations committee and featured on the 2025 t-shirts, as well as a $1,000 cheque and Green Shirt Day merchandise.
Canadian Blood Services is a proud member of the CST Living Donor Circle of Excellence, a program that celebrates employers offering paid leave to employees who become living donors
