You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but radon gas is found everywhere in Canada. Caused by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks, radon dissipates outdoors but builds up indoors – in homes, workplaces, schools and leisure spaces. Radon gas is radioactive, and is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It’s also the most significant indoor air carcinogen for residents of homes in Canada. According to the BC Centre for Disease Control's radon map, an estimated 30 per cent of homes within the Interior Health region are above the Canadian guideline of 200 Becquerels/m3. How do you know how much radon you have in your home? There’s only one way to find out: you have to test for it.  November is Radon Action Month in Canada. We want to introduce you to four people who are working hard to increase awareness of the risks of radon, and to promote testing, management and mitigation. This week meet Dr. Silvina Mema, deputy chief medical health officer (MHO), and Dr. Fatemeh Sabet, medical health officer and IH’s school MHO. As medical health officers, Dr. Mema and Dr. Sabet, focus on disease and injury prevention, and health promotion. Both have been closely involved with IH’s Radon in Schools project. This month we also featured Greg Baytalan, BSc, CPHI(C), specialist environmental health officer, and air quality and radon expert. We also introduced you to Nancy Mora Castro, regional air quality coordinator for the City of Kelowna.

Name: Andrea Fieldhouse (she/her/hers)Job Title:  Family Nurse PractitionerYears of Service:  14Worksite: Elkford Health CentreCommunity: ElkfordAncestral Territory: KtunaxaFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: "There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” – Desmond Tutu Born in Vancouver, Andrea is a family nurse practitioner (NP) passionate about supporting her clients’ health goals, and offering preventive care to improve the quality of life of her community. She enjoys connecting with people, and describes herself as kind, compassionate and driven.

You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but radon gas is found everywhere in Canada. Caused by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil and rocks, radon dissipates outdoors, but builds up indoors – in homes, workplaces, schools and leisure spaces.  Radon gas is radioactive, and is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It’s also the most significant indoor air carcinogen for residents of homes in Canada. According to the BC Centre for Disease Control's radon map, an estimated 30 per cent of homes within the Interior Health region are above the Canadian guideline of 200 Becquerels/m3. How do you know how much radon you have in your home? There’s only one way to find out: you have to test for it.  November is Radon Action Month in Canada. We want to introduce you to four people who are working hard to increase awareness of the risks of radon, and to promote testing, management and mitigation.  In this post, meet Greg Baytalan, BSc, CPHI(C), specialist environmental health officer, and air quality and radon expert. We have also featured medical health officers and radon champions Drs. Mema and Sabet, and regional air quality coordinator for the City of Kelowna, Nancy Mora Castro.

People living with chronic kidney disease now have a new, easy-to-use online resource that teaches how to use your kitchen to manage and slow the progression of kidney disease. The Plant-Based Medicine for Chronic Kidney Disease is a free website developed by two dietitians at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH).

Name: Alicia Vicic (she/her/hers)Job Title: Clinical Practice Educator - Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) - IH NorthYears of Service: 16Worksite: Community MHSUCommunity: Kamloops/IH NorthAncestral Territory: Secwépemc Favourite Quote / Advice to live by:  "When you look at a person, any person, remember that everyone has a story. Everyone has gone through something that has changed them."  Born and raised in Kamloops, Alicia Vicic graduated from the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Bachelor of Science nursing program in 2007 and completed her Master of Science in Nursing from UBC in 2017. Early on in her nursing education, she realized her interest in the mental health field, so she focused most of her clinical placements in this area. This lead Alicia to her career as a clinical practice educator with a focus on Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI).

Take a Breath: Teen Voices on Tobacco, Cannabis & Vaping contest is back for a second year. Interior Health is asking young artists to share their thoughts and experience for a chance to win a $150 gift card. Teens living in the Interior Health region in grades 8 to 12 are invited to submit original artwork that shares a message about the impact of youth smoking/tobacco and cannabis use and vaping, inspired by one of the following themes: The importance of ceremonial tobacco for Indigenous traditions, and how it differs from everyday (commercial) tobacco use (must identify as Indigenous to submit entry to this theme) Important facts about smoking tobacco, using cannabis and/or vaping products Tobacco and vaping companies’ strategies to promote use Impact of smoking tobacco, using cannabis and/or vaping on my life  Environmental impact of smoking/tobacco and vaping A panel of teen peers will select a winning poster in each of the five themes. Posters will be professionally printed, and offered to schools for display throughout the Interior Health region as well as in IH hospitals and health-care centres. More importantly, by virtue of coming from youth artists, their messages will hopefully resonate more with people in that age group. “Youth know better than adults about youth smoking, tobacco and cannabis use and vaping,” says Jered Dennis, Tobacco and Vaping Reduction Coordinator at Interior Health. “It’s important to hear youth voices and views on how smoking tobacco or cannabis and vaping impacts them and their friends, and also their families, schools and communities.” “Through this poster contest, we want to create opportunities for conversation between teens and their peers, and also with their parents and teachers, about smoking, vaping and tobacco and cannabis use,” adds Priscila Nabuco, who works with Jered on the Tobacco and Vapour Reduction team. “By educating themselves, young people can make informed choices about nicotine and vape use.” Entries will be accepted until Dec. 15, 2023. Learn more about the contest

In Clearwater, there is a tremendous amount of pride for the community and the health-care services it offers.  “It’s a fun place to work with really great colleagues, with great patients, and a community that’s very grateful for their health care,” says family physician Dr. Kara Perdue, who also works in the emergency room at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital. “We’re always looking for more people to join the team in order to expand that team and bring in new and fresh ideas to make this an even better place to live and work. The entrance to Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater.“The team we have here at the hospital and at our clinic is fantastic. It’s bright, smiling faces every time you come in. It’s a fantastic team to work with who work exceptionally hard, but are also able to have a lot of fun in their work. These are people who are going to be your friends and also your colleagues.” Interior Health’s Clinical Operations Manager for Clearwater and Blue River Heidi Schilling touts the great diversity of work and opportunities to master a multitude of skills. “Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital is a small rural hospital. We have six in-patient beds, we have a fully-functioning ER with a trauma bay,” she notes. “We’ve also got long-term care at the site [Forest View Place], with 20 long-term care residents.”

Residents in Salmon Arm now have access to a new mammography unit at Shuswap Lake General Hospital.  The new mammogram machine was unveiled during an open house at the site on Oct. 4, a month before screenings begin in November.  “Having mammography in Salmon Arm has been a great advancement for our community,” noted radiology tech at Shuswap Lake Hospital Kim Mead. “It’s allowing patients to receive a service locally rather than travelling kilometres down the road.” Residents needing a mammography would previously have to travel to Vernon or Kamloops, or access the once-a-month mobile mammography service to stop in Salmon Arm.  The Shuswap Hospital Foundation, which fundraised $3.3 million for both the mammography unit and CT scanner, hosted the open house.  Breast cancer survivors attended an open house for the new mammography unit on Oct. 6.Many of the attendees are breast cancer survivors themselves and are part of the local Shuswap Dragon Boat Society.

Name: Julianna DuplessisJob Title: SonographerYears of Service: 8Worksite: Royal Inland HospitalCommunity: KamloopsAncestral Territory: SecwépemcFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “God does not give us more than we can handle.” Julianna Duplessis loves her job as a diagnostic medical sonographer at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH).  She says every day is different and every diagnosis is different, keeping you on your toes.  “Every day is a new experience because as computers get better, so do the ultrasounds, so we see more and we constantly learn in this job. It’s not one you could be stagnant in,” noted Julianna, who’s been a sonographer for nearly three decades.