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OLIVER – Oliver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital due to unexpected limited physician availability. Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 until 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 10 and patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital. 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.  

New Denver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Slocan Community Health Centre due to unexpected limited nursing availability. From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, emergency services will be unavailable and patients can access care at Arrow Lakes Hospital at 97 - 1st Ave NE, Nakusp. 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 New Denver is normally open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week while Interior Health continues to recruit to fill positions to return to 24/7 operations.  

Merritt and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Nicola Valley Hospital due to limited staffing availability. From 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 to 7 a.m. Friday, Sept 8, 2023, emergency department services will be unavailable and patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. During this time, all other inpatient services will continue as normal at Nicola Valley 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 Merritt is normally open 24/7.

Interior Health has begun to support the return of residents to Parkside Community in Chase now that evacuation alerts for that area associated with the Bush Creek East wildfire have been rescinded. Repatriation will occur gradually and carefully to ensure appropriate staffing and resources are in place when residents return to their homes. Families will be notified directly as their loved ones are moved back. Anyone wishing to confirm their loved one’s current location can call 1-833-469-9800. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Messages can be left after hours for a call back. Interior Health supported the proactive relocation of 53 residents of Parkside Community on Aug. 18 to neighbouring communities due to local evacuation alerts. As localized alerts and evacuation orders are rescinded, a dedicated team will continue to lead the complex planning work of repatriating residents and clients to their homes. Interior Health proactively relocated nearly 900 people from nine seniors care homes due to the threat of wildfire. Seven seniors care homes have already begun repatriating residents home. Interior Health continues to support the wildfire response in our region, and our heartfelt thanks goes out to our care partners in neighbouring health authorities, first responders, community volunteers and local and provincial governments. Those requiring support are encouraged to call the BC Crisis Line at 310-6789. Watch: Residents of Lakeview Lodge return home following evacuation Residents of Glenmore Lodge return home following evacuation Residents of The Vineyards return home following evacuation Everyone is reminded to make preparations for wildfires, and smoky skies as air quality deteriorates by visiting https://www.interiorhealth.ca/wildfires. Install the BC Wildfire Service mobile app (Android or iOS) or visit the BC Wildfire Service Dashboard to find information on current wildfire activity. The FireWork Forecast shows maps of predicted smoke impacts over the next 48 hours.

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

Oliver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital due to unexpected limited physician availability.  Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 4 until 8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5 and patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital. 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.  

Castlegar and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Castlegar and District Community Health Centre due to unexpected limited physician availability.  Starting 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3, emergency services will be unavailable and patients can access care at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail or Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson.  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 Castlegar is normally open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.  

Oliver and area residents are advised that the recent temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital (SOGH) have been rescinded. Emergency services will now be available from 8 a.m. Saturday, September 2. Interior Health is committed to emergency services in Oliver, and will continuously work to secure coverage in the event of any service interruptions. We are pleased to have secured physician coverage for this weekend. 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.

Interior Health has begun to support the return of long-term care residents to Brandt’s Creek Mews in Kelowna and to Brookhaven Care Centre in West Kelowna now that threat of wildfire associated with the Grouse Complex wildfire has been reduced. Repatriation will occur gradually and carefully to ensure appropriate staffing and resources are in place when residents return to their homes. Interior Health is working with our partners in the delivery of long-term care services to keep families of residents informed as repatriation planning progresses. Families will be notified directly as their loved ones are moved back. Anyone wishing to confirm their loved one’s current location can call 1-833-469-9800. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Messages can be left after hours for a call back. Interior Health supported the proactive relocation from 106 residents of Brandt’s Creek Mews on Aug. 18 and 95 residents from Brookhaven Care Centre on Aug. 17 to neighbouring communities due to wildfire activity in the Central Okanagan. As localized alerts and evacuation orders are rescinded, a dedicated team will continue to lead the complex planning work of repatriating residents and clients to their homes. Interior Health proactively relocated nearly 900 people from nine seniors care homes due to the threat of wildfire. Four seniors care homes have already begun repatriating residents home. Interior Health continues to support the wildfire response in our region, and our heartfelt thanks goes out to our care partners in neighbouring health authorities, first responders, community volunteers and local and provincial governments. Those requiring support are encouraged to call the BC Crisis Line at 310-6789. Watch: Residents of Lakeview Lodge return home following evacuation Residents of Glenmore Lodge return home following evacuation Residents of The Vineyards return home following evacuation Everyone is reminded to make preparations for wildfires, and smoky skies as air quality deteriorates by visiting: https://www.interiorhealth.ca/health-and-wellness/natural-disasters-and-emergencies/wildfires Install the BC Wildfire Service mobile app (Android or iOS) or visit the BC Wildfire Service Dashboard to find information on current wildfire activity. The FireWork Forecast shows maps of predicted smoke impacts over the next 48 hours.