Gord Portman walks down the gravel path in Penticton’s Marina Way Beach Park towards the waterfront. It’s a hot, muggy day, and people dot the adjacent beach despite the wildfire smoke that has rolled in. “When I was homeless for 17 years, this was one of my favourite spots,” says Gord, pointing to a large, flat rock at the water’s edge. “I slept on this rock for three years. I used to come here to mourn loved ones I had lost to drugs, and to hide from my community and family.”

When Dallas had her son eight years ago, she quickly realized she had more milk than she her son needed to thrive. “I knew there were babies who could really benefit from my donated breast milk,” says Dallas, a public health nurse at Interior Health. “I have donated more than 20 litres of expressed breast milk to the milk bank. I got the idea from my own mom, who also donated when I was born prematurely at BC Women’s Hospital in 1985. "The concept and use of donor milk has been around for a very long time, and has shown to be such a huge part in health and growth of our tiniest, most fragile patients." When a baby is born prematurely or is sick, or when a mother’s milk isn’t available, pasteurized donor breast milk is the next best thing. While milk from a baby’s mother is always the first choice, donor breast milk contains the same antibodies that protect a baby from disease and infection.

Name: Tracy McKelvey (she/her/hers)Job Title: MHSU Administrative Support ClerkYears of Service: 15Worksite: Outpatient Psychiatry, Penticton Mental HealthCommunity: PentictonAncestral Territory: Syilx Nation  Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Focus on the positives in life! Tracy McKelvey works for Interior Health as a Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) administrative support clerk in outpatient psychiatry at Penticton Regional Hospital. Born in the lower mainland of B.C., Tracy was raised in Summerland from the age of three. She describes herself as introverted, intuitive and an animal lover.

Sometimes, travellers can bring back more than souvenirs and memories from their tropical vacation. Numerous tropical diseases can be acquired when travelling such as Malaria, Salmonella infection and rashes. Now, there’s an opportunity for Interior residents who are infected with a tropical disease to be treated closer to home as a new clinic opens in the Okanagan. The Kelowna Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine Clinic, located in Kelowna General Hospital, will focus on the diagnosis and management of diseases in returned travellers (including those visiting families and friends abroad), refugees, asylum seekers, new immigrants, as well as overseas visitors and tourists. The location was previously known as the Kelowna Infectious Diseases Clinic and is expanding its service offerings to include tropical medicine. It’s important to note that any returning traveller with a fever must be first assessed in the emergency department in order to rule out such entities as Malaria, Dengue fever, or Typhoid fever. For all other concerns or diseases, a referral is required by your general practitioner or your family physician. “Fever in a returning traveler is considered serious and requires medical attention in the emergency department (ED). The ability to see clients with these infections, following assessment in our ED, will mitigate the client’s need to travel to Vancouver, as is currently required,” said Dr. Issa Ephtimios, who is heading up the delivery of tropical medicine with support from Dr. Boi Masake. Both physicians are certified in tropical medicine and have gained extensive education in this field. Learn more about tropical diseases Visit the Kelowna Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine Clinic page Learn how to prevent tropical diseases through travel immunization

Name: Natasha NelJob Title: Accounts Receivable - Accounting AssistantYears of Service: 21Worksite: Lansdowne CentreCommunity: KamloopsAncestral Territory: T'Kemlups  Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Try to be kind, helpful, and share knowledge.  Learning doesn't stop after school. For Natasha Nel, over 20 years with Interior Health in Accounts Receivable has added up to a rewarding career. “I like puzzles and troubleshooting, learning new tools to help me and others with our work, and learning new software as I use quite a few different ones for my work,” said Natasha, who was born in Saskatoon and spent the majority of her childhood in Burnaby.

When you hear the word ‘psychosis,’ what words and images come to mind? Have you ever heard someone call something or someone else ‘psychotic?’ Psychosis can be a heavy-sounding word for what is a treatable mental health condition. Like many other mental illnesses, however, it also comes with stigma and shame.

Name: Deborah (Deb) Loney (she/her/hers)Job Title: Registered NurseYears of Service: 41 Worksite:  Hillside CentreCommunity: KamloopsAncestral Territory: Secwépemc Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Be kind – you never know what battles others are fighting.” – Deb Loney As a child, Deborah (Deb) Loney lived all over the world. The daughter of a Royal Canadian Air Force serviceman, she was born in London, Ontario, and lived in France, Belgium and Virginia. She calls Ottawa her hometown. When she was 18 years old, Deb joined her girlfriend on a bus trip to Kingston to check out the nursing program. “I got into the program. She didn’t,” recalls Deb. “I was accepted into the accelerated program during a nursing shortage, and graduated at 20 years old. That was 50 years ago.”

Fear and anxiety are natural reactions to stressful events such as wildfires. Here are some tips that can help you cope with the stress that wildfire season and wildfires can bring.

Name: Jennie Bui (she/her/hers)Job Title: Communication and Engagement consultant Years of Service: 2 Worksite:  Royal Inland HospitalCommunity: KamloopsAncestral Territory: Secwépemc Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “You can’t ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly striving.” - Dr. Paul Kalanithi Originally born and raised in Haiphong City, Vietnam, Jennie Bui joined IH more than two years ago as a communications professional. Starting out as a co-op student, Jennie has continued to develop and grow her skills with the Communication and Engagement team as they tackle new and exciting changes in the industry. Learn more about Jennie, her love for food and how innovation is playing a role in communications.