Media Archive Blog Topic Listing Page

Clearwater and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital due to limited nurse availability. Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops or 100 Mile House District General Hospital in 100 Mile House at this time. During this time, all other inpatient services will continue as normal at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital.           People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.  Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.  The emergency department in Clearwater is normally open 24/7.

Oliver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital due to limited physician availability. Emergency services will be unavailable from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15. Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time. During this time, all other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan General Hospital. People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.  Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.  The emergency department in Oliver is normally open 24/7.

Lillooet and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at the Lillooet Hospital and Health Centre due to limited physician availability. Emergency services will be unavailable from 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 to 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. Patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops during this time. All other inpatient services will continue as normal at Lillooet Hospital. People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 9-1-1 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.     Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.    The emergency department in Lillooet is normally open 24/7.

Patients in Kamloops now have improved access to services as upgrades at the Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) are complete, including enhancements to the post-anesthetic recovery (PAR) unit, pediatric unit and ambulance stretcher bays. “These important investments contribute significantly to how we deliver health care in Kamloops and surrounding communities in the Interior,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “The ongoing renovations at Royal Inland Hospital will help to improve patients’ and visitors’ experiences, streamline care and prioritize privacy and safety and we are excited about the progress that has been made.” Phase 2 renovations will deliver major improvements and modernizations to RIH. This includes the first phase of emergency department renovations slated for completion by October 2024. Patients and staff are already benefiting from the following Phase 2 upgrades that were completed in July and August 2024: the Afternoon Auxiliary to the RIH PAR unit, which opened July 3, has been modified to improve the efficiency of each room so staff can better monitor patients and provide post-surgical care, while also improving efficiency in each operating room; the pediatric unit, which opened July 23, has been customized with designs and amenities for young patients and their caregivers, focused on enhancing family-centred care; and six ambulance stretcher bays, which opened Aug. 13, come with dedicated headwall units and equipment to help move patients from ambulances safely and efficiently.  “Interior Health has significantly expanded services available at Royal Inland Hospital, thanks to the opening of the Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Tower,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO, Interior Health. “The Phase 2 enhancements demonstrate our ongoing commitment to improving care for patients and families. With expanded capacity, modernized spaces and upgraded equipment, we’re also supporting our care teams and attracting new health professionals.” The remaining Phase 2 renovations that will be completed in 2024, include: the first phase of the Teck Emergency Department (ED), which will create more triage rooms and a new entrance to improve patient access as well as flow;  the first stage of the morgue renovation, comprising a new entrance, cooler room and autopsy suite; and a daycare surgery elevator lobby upgrade. The later stages of the morgue renovation and the public concourse are expected to be complete in 2025, with the remaining ED renovations scheduled for completion by fall 2026. All of these improvements are part of the larger RIH patient care tower project, which is expected to be finished by the end of 2026. The RIH patient care tower project is a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, Interior Health, the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation and the Thompson Regional Hospital District. This project included construction of the 107-bed Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Tower, which opened to patients in 2022. The cost of the project is approximately $457 million. The provincial government contributed $243 million, the Thompson Regional Hospital District contributed $172 million, Interior Health contributed $22 million, and the RIH Foundation provided $20 million, which will go toward the purchase of equipment. Two backgrounders follow. Learn More: Learn more about health capital projects in B.C., visit: hhttps://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/capital-projects

Seniors in Kamloops and the surrounding area will have greater access to care closer to home with the opening of a new long-term care home with 100 new publicly funded beds. “As our seniors age, it is our responsibility to ensure they have access to quality care and comfort,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “These beds are part of the largest one-time increase in long-term care beds in the Interior in more than 16 years and will help seniors create a home away from home while still being close to family and loved ones.” Located at 580 Shuswap Rd. E. and overlooking the South Thompson River, AgeCare Sun Rivers will open on Oct. 21, 2024. All beds in the care home are publicly funded, single-bed rooms. The building will be four storeys with indoor and outdoor spaces and a bright, home-like atmosphere, creating a nurturing environment for residents in the Sun Rivers development. “This new long-term care home in Kamloops will provide quality and dignified care services so more seniors can age close to their loved ones in the community they call home,” said Harwinder Sandhu, Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care. “It is another demonstration of our government’s ongoing investment to strengthen seniors’ services and build new long term care homes across B.C. to help meet growing demand and deliver the quality services our seniors need.” The new long-term care home will feature state-of-the-art facilities designed to offer a safe community for individuals with physical challenges and health issues. Seniors and their families will benefit from 100 private suites, spacious family-style dining rooms, a casual bistro, an atrium for large gatherings, recreational/multi-purpose spaces, outdoor courtyard and a hair salon, creating a more comfortable and supportive environment. “The addition of these new beds in Kamloops is at the heart of Interior Health’s continued commitment to meeting the needs of individuals who require the level of care and supports available in a care home environment,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO, Interior Health. “I want to express my gratitude to all of our partners for their support in helping expand the range of long-term care programs and services available in this community.” AgeCare, through its partnership with Aster Joint Venture Ltd. Partnership, has leased the land from the Sun Rivers Resort Community, which holds a leasehold title for the parcel from the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. AgeCare holds a service operating agreement with Interior Health for the care home. “AgeCare is pleased to partner with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, the ministry and Interior Health with the opening of AgeCare Sun Rivers,” said Salimah Walji-Shivji, CEO, AgeCare. “This community is a testament to AgeCare’s philosophy of providing the best quality-of-life experience for its residents through innovative and purpose-built infrastructure. We know these resources are essential and we look forward to welcoming residents to AgeCare Sun Rivers.” The 100 new long-term care beds in Kamloops are part of the provincial government’s investment to create 495 new beds in the Interior Health region to meet the needs of the growing seniors population. The remaining long-term beds are planned in Kelowna, Nelson and Penticton, as well as Vernon, where 90 beds opened in February 2024. Long-term care communities provide care and supervision for people with complex-care needs who can no longer live safely and independently at home. These communities offer a range of services delivered by well-trained, compassionate and caring staff. The new homes build on investments of approximately $3.5 billion over the past five years to expand and improve quality care for seniors in B.C., including investments in primary care, home health, long-term care and assisted living. Quotes: Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir, Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc First Nations – “On behalf of Tk̓emlúps, we are pleased to announce the development of a centralized assisted living housing project aimed at addressing the long-term care needs and the much-needed housing for seniors in our Sun Rivers community, our Elders from Tk̓emlúps community, and the Elder and senior population throughout our Nation. We acknowledge the partnerships formed to support this important initiative and look forward to the opportunities it will bring to educate and share our local culture and traditional history with future residents. While residing on these ancestral lands, residents will benefit from resources that promote an excellent quality of life. We are excited about the positive impact this facility will have on our community, both now and for many years to come.” Terry Lake, CEO, BC Care Providers Association – “Our seniors deserve to have access to high-quality care and support. With the rapidly growing aging population and the increasing need for long-term care capacity across the province, this signifies a crucial step forward to not only help address these challenges, but also to ensure that seniors have access to long-term care services when they need them.” Read original post on BC Gov News

People in in the Kootenay Boundary will have increased access to a new MRI suite at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) in Trail. “People living in the Kootenay Boundary will have access to timely scans through this new state-of-the-art MRI suite, providing increased diagnostic testing close to home,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “This new MRI will reduce wait times will and improve imaging accuracy. Our government is committed to ensuring that patients get the diagnosis, treatment planning and followup where and when they need it.” With the approval of the business plan for the new MRI suite, KBRH will be able to accommodate more complex-care exams and reduce the need to transfer patients to other service areas. The new MRI will make a significant improvement to quality of care and increase accessibility to services for vulnerable patients, including those with serious conditions, disabilities, pediatric and elderly patients, and those experiencing mental-health challenges. “This new MRI suite will ensure more medical scans and diagnoses will be closer to home for people in Trail and throughout the region,” said Jennifer Rice, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health. “This new suite is another example of the actions we are taking to ensure people living in rural and remote areas have access to the quality health care they need.”  The current MRI suite is located in a mobile trailer, which limits services to monitored patients, bariatric patients, and sedated patients. The new MRI suite will be located in an integrated space in the hospital, and will support KBRH as a Regional Oncology Centre, Level 3 Trauma Referral Centre, and Regional Stroke Centre. “We are taking steps to ensure that people have access to MRI scanning without having to travel far away from home,” said Katrine Conroy, MLA for Kootenay West. “This new suite will mean improved care for patients with conditions like strokes, brain and spinal tumors that often limit mobility. It’s just one more action we are making to ensure people across the region get high-quality health care.”  The new MRI will also improve imaging accuracy along with scanning capacity and efficiencies compared to the existing scanner, with chest scans expected to be reduced from 90 to 45 minutes. This will enable more exams to be completed, reducing the need for physicians to refer patients to larger sites due to long wait times, resulting in fewer delays in medical interventions. After a competitive bidding process, Interior Health has selected Stantec Architecture for architectural and engineering services for the KBRH MRI project. Construction is planned to start in summer 2026 and be ready for patients by summer 2028. The total project cost is estimated to be $35.86 million and will be shared by the provincial government through Interior Health, the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District and the KBRH Health Foundation. Quick Facts: KBRH opened in 1954 and offers a variety of health-care services, including 24-hour emergency and trauma services, enhanced laboratory services, acute and obstetrical care, psychiatry and chemotherapy. The new MRI is anticipated to perform 7,000 scans per year, up from the 4,400 scans that the current mobile MRI has capacity for. The total volume of MRI exams in Interior Health has increased from 20,726 in 2017-18 to 54,737 in 2023-24. The KBRH emergency department redevelopment began in fall 2018 and included: a single-storey addition to the existing building; updated and expanded trauma bays; exam and procedure rooms; and an airborne isolation and secure room, which opened in September 2020. The new ambulatory-care wing opened September 2021 and features new procedure rooms, endoscopy suites and recovery rooms, new patient change rooms and natural light, and the new pharmacy opened in July 2022. The renovated and expanded oncology department, the modernized physiotherapy department and the upgraded cast clinic all opened in summer 2022. Learn More: Learn more about health capital projects in B.C., visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/capital-projects

Please see the attached document to learn more about the look, contamination, and risk associated with the current drug alert.

People living with alcohol or opioid use disorder now have a way to directly and quickly access addiction medicine specialists. Anyone can now refer themselves to Interior Health’s Virtual Addiction Medicine (VAM) Clinic using a simple web form. The form, available at www.interiorhealth.ca/vam, lets people easily request an appointment to meet with an addiction medicine specialist. Family and friends can also refer someone provided the person being referred is aware and agrees. “The toxic drug crisis continues to devastate communities around the province,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “When someone struggling with addiction makes the brave decision to get help, we need to make it easy for them to get the right care they need, where and when they need it.  Allowing people to easily connect to an addiction medicine specialist through a website along with our new Opioid Treatment Access Line are important steps in improving access to resources and to saving lives.” “Since opening almost three years ago, the Virtual Addictions Medicine Clinic has helped thousands in our region successfully overcome substance use disorder, offering opioid agonist treatment for withdrawal symptoms and medications to reduce alcohol cravings," said Susan Brown, Interior Health president and CEO. “With this change people no longer need a referral from a physician and can contact us directly to gain faster access to these important services.” After someone requests an appointment, a clinician will contact them, usually within one business day. The client is then scheduled to meet an addiction medicine specialist by phone or video conferencing. The VAM team works with the client on a treatment plan that may include prescription medicines such as OAT. Once the client is comfortable with their plan, they are referred to health services based in their community. The VAM will soon be part of this regional central access line, and will work seamlessly with the new province-wide Opioid Treatment Access Line (1-833-804-8111) announced on August 27, 2024 to ensure that no matter where someone reaches out they are connected with the right substance use service for their needs. This expansion and other work underway to increase substance use services in IH is part of the recently announced Road to Recovery model. Road to Recovery is a new ‘made in BC’ model of addictions, which establishes a seamless continuum of care for addictions, from detox to treatment and after care. A critical next step in Interior Health’s implementation of this model will be to bring the expanded VAM and other substance use resources into a single access line where people can call to get information, receive a same day clinical assessment and get an individualized substance use care plan. All this will ensure clients residing in Interior Health can more easily be connected to services in their region. These new services will be especially beneficial to individuals living in rural and remote communities where accessing in-person care closer to home can be challenging. “The intent of this new service is to get clients into care as soon as possible by removing any stigma that may be associated with accessing addiction health services in person,” says Debi Morris, director, MHSU Network. “A client doesn’t need to go to a Mental Health and Substance Use clinic or speak to a health-care provider to self-refer. The service is also intended to remove any barriers to clients who can’t easily access a physical location or centre due to distance, mobility or transportation.” The web form was designed to be simple and straightforward. For example, a client doesn’t need an address, nor a BC Personal Health Number to request an appointment. People are offered the choice in how they are contacted, whether it’s their number, a friend’s number, at a shelter or another place they often go. The VAM Clinic is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PST throughout the Interior Health region. For anyone needing immediate help, people are asked to visit their nearest emergency department, or call a 24-hour crisis line: Interior Crisis Line Network: 1-888-353-2273 or 1-800-784-2433 KUU-US (Indigenous) Crisis Line: 1-800-588-8717 Métis Crisis Line: 1-833-638-4722 Suicide Crisis Helpline - 988 For other mental health substance use services, people can call 310-MHSU.

Williams Lake and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.   Emergency services will be unavailable effective immediately until 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 1, 2024. Patients can access care at GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel or Bella Coola General Hospital in Bella Coola during this time.  All other inpatient services will continue as normal at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.  People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 9-1-1 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.    Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.   The emergency department in Cariboo Memorial Hospital is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.