When you walk into a hospital, you may be accustomed to seeing hand sanitizer and medical masks at the entrances. But did you know a lot more that happens behind the scenes to keep our health-care facilities safe from viruses like COVID-19 and norovirus, and harmful bacteria that causes infections like c. difficile? At Interior Health, our infection preventionists (IPs) help protect everyone’s safety by providing education to staff, physicians and volunteers. They investigate infections and outbreaks, assess infection prevention measures, and even provide consultation for construction and renovation projects in health-care facilities. Meet some of our Interior Health IPs, and get to know the work they do.

In June 2023, Kelowna wife and mom of three Trixie Sylvester discovered she had breast cancer after a regularly scheduled mammogram. The cancer was deep inside her body, and could not be felt externally – her diagnosis came as a complete shock. Trixie was scheduled for a partial mastectomy in August. She had never had surgery before, and didn’t know what to expect. Through her breast cancer journey, she learned that even the most stressful and frightening situations have a silver lining. Her silver lining came in the form of an outpouring of love and compassion, not only from her family and friends, but also from every doctor, nurse and health-care professional she met at Kelowna General Hospital. Wanting to share her story with as many people as possible, she sent a message to Interior Health. “Even if I can help just one person going through what I am, that would mean so much to me,” she said. This is her story.

Name: Gillian Gabelhei (she/her/hers)Job Title: Occupational TherapistYears of Service:  11Worksite:  Brookhaven Care CentreCommunity:  KelownaAncestral Territory: SyilxFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength. – Saint Francis de Sales Apart from a couple of years at university in Edmonton, occupational therapist (OT), Gillian Gabelhei has lived in Kelowna ever since moving to Canada from her birthplace in Durban, South Africa. She describes herself as easygoing, patient, practical and open-minded.

Name: Ian Luckhurst (he/him/his)Job Title: Manager, Clinical EducationYears of Service: 10Worksite: Professional Practice OfficeCommunity: RosslandAncestral Territory: Syilx and Ktunaxa NationsFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: "Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence." - Desiderata, 1927 Born and raised in Edmonton, Ian started his nursing career in 2006. His interest in science and pathology led him to specializing in critical and emergency care nursing. An outdoor enthusiast, Ian worked for nine years part-time as a certified critical care flight nurse, helping transport patients in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Breastfeeding and human milk are not only important for the health and well-being of babies and infants, but for parents, families and communities. But did you know there are a lot of other benefits to supporting breastfeeding parents, and parents who express milk, in addition to the health and well-being of babies? Employers and community leaders can create inclusive and accessible environments for parents who breastfeed, chestfeed* or express milk at work and in the community. Read on to learn more about these benefits, and how you can help your organization, employees and community reap these benefits with tips and resources.

To advance health-focused climate change action and sustainability in B.C.’s Southern Interior, we’ve developed the Climate Change and Sustainability Roadmap. The Roadmap will serve as a strategy to guide 20 climate change and sustainability actions across IH over the next five years. Building a network of health-care staff who participate in projects and initiatives to advance environmental sustainability and climate resilience across the organization is a key part of IH’s vision of improved health and well-being for all.

Have you ever wondered who helps ensure food establishments are serving your food safely, or the water you’re swimming in is safe? How boil water advisories are issued? Or what happens when someone comes into contact with a bat? That’s your Interior Health environmental health officers (EHOs) at work. Water quality, health inspections and animal encounters are just some of the many responsibilities EHOs have. Working closely with our medical health officers, our environmental health team also offers guidance when the air is smoky from wildfires, provides resources to make sure your indoor air quality is safe, and shares information on how to protect yourself from common diseases from animals and insects. Our EHOs cover 215,000 square kilometers of the Southern Interior region. Some work in our urban centres. Others have to jump into a helicopter or hop onto a boat to visit an operation in a remote part of our region. We sat down with four of our EHOs to ask them about their jobs and what gets them excited about the work they do. After you read their profiles, learn more about environmental public health profession and explore our careers.

Name: Emily Larochelle (she/her/hers)Job Title:  Registered Nurse, Clinical Care EducatorYears of Service: 13Worksite: Kootenay Boundary Regional HospitalCommunity: Trail, West KootenaysAncestral Territory: Ktunaxa and Syilx NationsFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: "There is a light somewhere. It may not be much light but it beats the darkness." – Charles Bukowski  

When long-term care residents throughout the region had to evacuate this summer due to wildfires, Interior Health team members stepped up repeatedly to help. Nearly 1,000 long-term care residents were evacuated over the summer at various times due to wildfire threats, and have since been able to return home.