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With the holiday season here, many of us will be gathering to celebrate with family and friends. Celebrations often include food and sometimes…
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The festive season is kicking into high gear. You may already be pulling out the ugly Christmas sweaters and are preparing for holiday parties, or…
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Talking about suicide – starting the conversation, listening, providing support, and connecting people with help – can be difficult and even scary…
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In 2021, 263 paper medical charts were shipped to East Kootenay Regional Hospital where they were placed in the basement. The charts belonged to…
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If there’s one lesson to take away from the toxic drug crisis – now sometimes referred to as the unregulated drug poisoning emergency – it’s that…
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Gord Portman walks down the gravel path in Penticton’s Marina Way Beach Park towards the waterfront. It’s a hot, muggy day, and people dot the…
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When you hear the word ‘psychosis,’ what words and images come to mind? Have you ever heard someone call something or someone else ‘psychotic?’…
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Four teens have won Interior Health’s Take a Breath: Teen Voices on Tobacco and Vaping poster contest. Each winner will receive a $150 gift card…
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Naloxone is a widely available medication that can reverse an opioid overdose temporarily. It has been a vital tool in combatting the toxic drug…
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The holiday season includes many cherished moments like festive light displays, classic carols on the radio, and visits with friends and family.…
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Interior Health has been running a program that gives people who have lived with or have living experience with substance use the opportunity to…
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Excerpts reprinted with permission from Here to Help. Read the full article. In 1885, Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays - and saw his skeleton.…
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I was born and raised in Kelowna, the heart of B.C.’s Okanagan valley, which is well known for beautiful vistas and its wine industry. People…
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Jodi Cunningham, pharmacist and owner of Medicine Shoppe Vernon It takes a team to combat one public health emergency – let alone two.…
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More than 9,000 British Columbians have died due to the toxic drug poisoning since 2016 – with 2021 being the worst year on record at 2,224 deaths…
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Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital emergency department nurses: Jane Carlton, Tamara Roscoe, Teresa Myers, and Emily Larochelle Opioid use…
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On April 14, 2016, the increasing number of opioid overdoses prompted the Province to declare a public health emergency. Six years later, close to…
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Like many people who use drugs, Faith turned to illicit opioids to take away pain and hurt. When she realized she wanted to stop using, Opioid…
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Housing is both a basic need and a human right. And yet, many people in the Interior Health region are without homes. The reasons behind why…
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Members of the Kamloops Integrated Treatment Team are providing a new model of flexible, discreet and person-centred substance use treatment. Left…
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Integrated Treatment Teams offer non-judgmental, discreet and flexible substance use treatment and support in your community. Treatment can…
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Ellen had never really spoken with anyone about her alcohol use. She credits the day treatment program for providing the safe place she needed to…
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The language we use to talk about people with substance use disorders can bring out many negative stereotypes. Substance use disorders are more…
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Matthew first realized he needed help with his alcohol use during his late 20s. He was drinking daily, he says, and recognized that he was using…
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Charlotte is proud of her mixed heritage – her ancestors are Cree and Shuswap, as well as Japanese and Irish. As someone who is homeless herself,…
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Devon is a peer worker who provides overdose prevention and harm reduction supports to those living in shelters and supportive housing. As someone…
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Cheyenne Fath is a youth and peer outreach worker and lived experience educator in Penticton. Through her experiences, she knows first hand how…
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Community members who use drugs continue to die from an increasingly toxic and unregulated drug supply. Even occasional users can – and do –…
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Please see the attached document to learn more about the look, contamination, and risk associated with the current drug alert. View more Toxic…
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Addictions medicine lead Dr. Leslie Lappalainen, one of a group of health professionals that have put together the prescribing service. It’s…