Committees, Regional Meetings, and Working Groups
ORBCoN’s Steering Committee was established to provide review and oversight of planning the project workplan as well as project and financial reporting. This committee holds at minimum one face to face meeting and tele/video conferences as required to review proposals, budgets and reports to ensure projects undertaken are of benefit to the stakeholders in the transfusion community within Ontario and are consistent with the provincial blood utilization strategy.
Regional Advisory Committees provide more opportunity for direct and regional stakeholder feedback and advice. This provides a forum for those within each region to discuss issues and concerns (some may be region specific). ORBCoN provides this feedback to the Ministry of Health and the Ontario Blood Consultation Group or other relevant advisory groups.
To ensure program stability and cohesiveness, the ORBCoN teams from all three offices meet in person throughout the year. Each region will host one face to face meeting (virtually if required) each year. The team engages in virtual team meetings and teleconferences in addition to these valuable face to face meetings that bring our three offices together.
ORBCoN has a large presence and is well represented on various groups or committees. Through this participation, ORBCoN is able to contribute to provincial strategies and to share the Ontario initiatives with others as well as gain insight into other provincial projects and initiatives. By sharing efforts made and avoiding duplication of effort, blood programs and hospitals alike can benefit across Canada.
ORBCoN will continue to respond to the need for ad hoc working groups as they arise to ensure hospital stakeholders are represented and have adequate access to information and to act as the conduit for communication between the various stakeholders within the blood system.
These meetings are organized by the hospitals within the Central and Southwest each region and are held quarterly. Representatives from ORBCoN and CBS are invited to attend and provide updates. These forums offer an opportunity to network with hospital customers and provide insight into current issues or topics of interest.
Includes participation on the Ontario Emergency Blood Management Committee (OEBMC). This provincial working group’s mandate is to maintain the Ontario Contingency Plan for the Management of Blood Shortages and to plan and hold periodic provincial blood shortage exercises and prepare provincial reports.
Renewed in 2011, the previously named Ontario IVIG Working group has become formalized into an Advisory Panel. Through the lead region for IVIG utilization management, ORBCoN provides ongoing secretariat support to this panel, in addition to implementing the IVIG strategy in cooperation with the rest of ORBCoN. At least one face to face meeting including the ad hoc members will be held, along with minuted monthly conference calls.
OBCG was formally known as the Ontario Blood Advisory Committee (OBAC) and was established in 2006 to serve as a broad based external advisory group to the provincial Ministry of Health blood programs office on blood system issues. Membership is representative of the various regions in Ontario and multiple disciplines within transfusion medicine, anesthesiology, transfusion specialist, hematology laboratory services, nursing and consumers. OBCG is mandated to provide evidence based advice to assist with prioritization of blood related issues and setting the strategic direction for the provincial blood program and to recommend and support implementation of effective strategies to address issues.
All ORBCoN regions meet quarterly with the CBS Hospital services group and the Ministry of Health to ensure open and transparent communication and timely resolution of any issues of joint interest that may arise. Meetings are arranged and minuted in collaboration with CBS in rotation between regions.
National face to face meeting of Provincial Blood Offices meeting occurs once a year in addition to a mid-year teleconference. By participating in these meetings, ORBCoN will continue to: provide reports on the status of Ontario's blood coordinating projects; collaborate with other blood offices on common blood utilization strategies to improve practice, including national working groups for IVIG and education resources; share information on issues and approaches; and, share resources to minimize duplication of effort.