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Residents are advised the emergency department at the Slocan Community Health Centre will be resuming 24-hour service. “I would like to thank the community for its support while we managed Omicron-driven staffing challenges earlier this year and reduced emergency services to maintain safe patient care,” said Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown. “I’m pleased to share that Interior Health has successfully recruited two additional registered nurses to the community and we can now resume normal operations.” The emergency department will resume 24-hour service effective Tuesday, May 10. “I’m pleased the emergency department is resuming 24/7 service in our community,” said New Denver Mayor Leonard Casley. “Having access to 24/7 care provides our community with the ability to seek prompt medical attention regardless of challenges posed by geographical location and limited pre-hospital services.” Interior Health would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding as Interior Health took swift action in January to manage the COVID-19 driven staffing crisis.

Residents in Clinton and Ashcroft are advised of laboratory service changes in their communities. To reduce travel for Clinton residents, the Clinton Health Centre is now offering blood collection services on Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the support of a medical lab assistant from Ashcroft. Walk-ins are available from between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. and again between noon and 1 p.m.  Booked appointments are available between 8 a.m. and noon. The Ashcroft Health Centre will continue to provide collection services on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. People who require bloodwork on Wednesdays may book appointments in Merritt, Clinton, Logan Lake or Kamloops. Limited walk-in service is available. People can book an appointment online at www.labonlinebooking.ca or by calling 1‑877-740-7747. The call centre is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

As we close out National Immunization Awareness Week (April 23 – 30), Interior Health encourages families to stay on track with their immunizations. “Vaccines have saved more lives in Canada than any other medical intervention in the past 60 to 70 years,” said Dr. Carol Fenton, Interior Health Medical Health Officer. As one example, as late as the 1950s, the polio virus caused paralysis or death in thousands of people, most of them children. Thanks to the polio vaccines, Canada virtually eliminated polio by 1964 with the last case acquired in Canada in 1988.” Thanks to global efforts, vaccines are available to protect against diseases such as influenza, whooping cough, meningitis, chickenpox, hepatitis and specific cancers. Immunizations across the life span In B.C., young children are offered vaccines at two, four, six, 12, and 18 months of age. The vaccination process continues as children get older and begin school. A booster dose is needed for some diseases as children enter their teen years. In grade six, all children can get the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to protect against infection from types of human papillomavirus that cause certain cancers like cervical and mouth cancers. A 2019 study showed that the HPV vaccine cut pre-cervical cancer rates in B.C. by more than half. The need for vaccinations does not stop as you get older, as there are many vaccines recommended for adults. All adults in B.C. can get a booster of tetanus and diphtheria vaccine every 10 years. If you missed your basic series of vaccines in childhood, or depending on your health, age and other risk factors, suggest you focus on the importance of pneumococcal and influenza as we get older as well as Zoster “The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of how effective vaccines are in preventing serious illness and death,” said Dr. Carol Fenton. “This National Immunization Awareness Week, I encourage families to review their immunization records and stay on track – both to protect themselves and those around them.” Visit our Immunizations & Vaccines page for information on important immunizations for infants, children and adults, as well as immunizations for travel. People can check their vaccine status on the Vaccine Status Indicator.

Clearwater and area residents are advised of a temporary change to the emergency department hours at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital tonight due to unforeseen limited staffing availability. The emergency department will be closed: 4 p.m. Thursday, April 28 to 7 a.m. Friday, April 29 Interior Health regrets this temporary change to normal operations and reminds residents to take note of the following if they require care while the emergency department is closed: In the event of an emergency, call 911. Visit the emergency department at one of the following facilities: Royal Inland Hospital – 311 Columbia Street, Kamloops Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 (24 hour service) if you are unsure of your need to seek emergency care. The emergency department in Clearwater is normally open 24/7.

Interior Health launched a pilot project at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) to improve patient safety by preventing falls and injuries through the use of a remote patient video monitoring system called the AvaSure TeleSitter. “Our health-care teams strive for continuous improvement in the care we provide, and it’s exciting to see our team at KGH use this new technology to increase patient safety,” said Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown. “We’ve already seen early success with the project. In just two months, there have been more than 2,000 interactions with patients using the TeleSitter which helped prevent falls thanks to the ability to virtually monitor patients.” TeleSitter is an IV-like pole in the patient’s room that provides live video and two-way audio feeds to a trained staff member, like a care aide, monitoring from a central screen. If a patient attempts to get out of bed unattended, the care aide monitoring the video will ensure the patient is provided the assistance they need. Up to 10 patients can be monitored at the same time. “I’m so pleased with how the roll-out of TeleSitter has been going at KGH. Within 10 hours of monitoring our first patient, the care aide was able to provide assistance to the patient to prevent a potential fall from happening,” said Jaymi Chernoff, executive director of clinical operations at KGH. “Having the ability to virtually monitor patients who may be at risk of falling, means the caregivers who sit bedside and don’t want to leave their loved one unattended, can go home and get some rest. The feedback from caregivers has been so positive so far; they are grateful and appreciative of the technology.” Since being launched with two devices in January, ten TeleSitter’s have been deployed to help monitor patients on units 4A (medical) and 4W (surgical) at KGH with plans to expand to additional units. KGH is the first hospital in Interior Health to implement this technology. Interior Health will review the success of the project before looking at implementing TeleSitters in additional hospitals in the future.

Interior Health is making it easier for people living in North Okanagan communities to access home and community care and chronic disease management services. Seniors and others can now easily connect to health-care services in their community seven days per week, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. by calling 1-800-707-8550. Communities in the North Okanagan region are the latest to see the new 1-800 number implemented. The central number has been expanding in phases and with this activation, seniors across the entire Interior Health region can now access this number. Calling this number will connect people to a central intake office, which will refer callers to appropriate services including: Care management services: community nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, dietitian, social work, speech language, and respiratory therapy support in your home to assist your daily living needs, such as personal care, special exercises, medication assistance and in-home respite adult day services (personal care services and therapeutic activities in a community setting) eligibility assessment for funded assisted living and long-term care homes Palliative care services: community nursing social work hospice care Acquired brain injury services coordination of health services for individuals with brain injury client-centred services to support individuals with brain injury to maximize their independence in daily living support and education regarding recovery The new 1-800 number does not replace existing contact numbers, including the Interior Health crisis line (1-888-353-2273), hospital or emergency services, or 911. The phone line has been developed in response to feedback from clients and the public, to make it simpler for people to find and access the services they need. Similar improvements to access have been initiated for community mental health and substance use with a new single phone line 310‑MHSU (6478) that launched in 2021. Quick Facts: The communities included within this expansion to the North Okanagan are: Vernon Armstrong Enderby Salmon Arm Revelstoke Spallumcheen Falkland Lumby Cherryville Coldstream Lavington Grindrod Tappen Blind Bay Sorrento Canoe Sicamous Malakwa Craigellachie

During National Volunteer Week (April 24-30, 2022), Interior Health (IH) extends its gratitude to more than 4,800+ IH volunteers across the region. “Thank you to everyone volunteering with Interior Health across the region,” said Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown. “Your warmth, kindness, and compassion provides comfort to people in our care, and it makes a tremendous difference across IH.” In addition, Interior Health is grateful for the efforts of countless hospital foundation and auxiliary staff and volunteers who are dedicated to advancing health care through fundraising and support services. Their networks of committed volunteers raise support and awareness for causes in new and creative ways. This year, the National Volunteer Week theme is ‘Volunteering is Empathy in Action,’ a phrase that captures perfectly the importance of volunteer contributions to our health system. “All of us, at some time, will need assistance or help, and being there for someone else to make their lives a little easier is something that brings me a great deal of satisfaction,” said Angela Bearman, a community volunteer of 18 years in Kelowna. “By giving back through volunteering, I believe we strengthen our community’s social fabric, making it a better place for all to live and thrive.” Volunteer with IH Volunteers complement the care provided by our professionals, and are welcomed, respected and valued members of the IH team. Volunteers are encouraged to share their life experiences to help others, gain a personal satisfaction that comes from helping others, or explore career and education options. Volunteers are present in many health-care programs and services, including community care, hospitals, long-term care and public health. Learn why volunteers love their roles with Interior Health or how to volunteer here.

Merritt and area residents are advised that the emergency department at Nicola Valley Hospital will be closed today from 6:30 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, April 24, due to unforeseen limited staffing availability. Interior Health regrets this temporary change to normal operations and reminds residents to take note of the following if they require care while the emergency department is closed: In the event of an emergency, call 911. Visit the emergency department at one of the following facilities: Royal Inland Hospital - 311 Columbia St., Kamloops Kelowna General Hospital - 2268 Pandosy St., Kelowna Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 (24 hour service) if you are unsure of your need to seek emergency care. Interior Health apologizes for this temporary interruption to normal services.

People in Vernon will soon have greater access to care closer to home with construction underway on 90 new publicly funded long-term care beds in the community, as part of the largest one-time increase in long-term care beds in the Interior in more than 16 years. View the full release