Excerpts reprinted with permission from Here to Help. Read the full article. In 1885, Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays - and saw his skeleton. He began to work in private in case he ruined his reputation with such fantastical claims. Discoveries from Henri Becquerel and Marie Curie further uncovered ionizing radiation and the role it could play in health diagnostics and treatment. And just like today, misinformation and quackery spread alongside these advances in physics. Radioactive quacks weren’t the first to spread misinformation, and they certainly won’t be the last. After the World Health Organization declared a Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, they declared an “infodemic”—an exponential increase in information, some reliable and some not, fuelling rumours, assumptions, conspiracy theories and disinformation. Disinformation, misinformation and fake news continue to threaten everyone’s health and well-being.

I was born and raised in Kelowna, the heart of B.C.’s Okanagan valley, which is well known for beautiful vistas and its wine industry. People travel from all over the world to experience the vast selection of award-winning wineries in B.C.’s premier grape growing region. As a result, the region’s wine tourism industry brings in millions of dollars a year in revenue and provides thousands of full-time jobs as well as seasonal employment. More recently, a boom of microbreweries, cideries and distilleries has made more unique and varied alcoholic beverages available to both tourists and locals alike. The Interior region’s rate of manufacturer liquor licences is more than three times higher than the provincial rate. According to Interior Health’s 2020 Medical Health Officer Report, from 2007 to 2018 the region had the highest per capita rate of alcohol consumption in B.C. and alcohol-related hospitalizations and deaths are higher than the provincial average.

Name: Mike Adams (he/him/his)Job Title: Team Leader, Healthy Community DevelopmentYears of Service: 30Worksite: Vernon Health Centre​​​​​​​Community: Head of Okanagan Lake, briefly known in time as VernonAncestral Territory: Syilx OkanaganAdvice to live by:  “If you're not having fun and laughing, then it's time to move on.” “People. Helping people, supporting people, working with people.”   As an environmental health officer, Mike Adams’ passion is for making communities healthier places to live, learn, work and play. His goal is that everyone in the community has an equal opportunity to have the best life they want.

More and more, people are addressing their health-care needs virtually. But what if you have trouble with the virtual care options themselves?  The Interior Health (IH) Digital Health Support Desk helps people, caregivers and their families use and navigate IH virtual and digital tools to better manage their health care. IH launched the Digital Health Support Desk in spring 2022 to streamline the support process for patients and their families. The Digital Health Support Desk team is available a t 1-844-870-4756, seven days a week. Here’s an overview of the support services offered: MyHealthPortal MyHealthPortal is an online platform that provides patients with secure 24-7 access to personal health information from a computer, tablet or smartphone. The Digital Health Support team can help with password/login ID resets, enrolments, proxy requests and more. Online lab booking The Digital Health Support team can help with booking or rescheduling an outpatient lab appointment or blood test and general account maintenance. COVID-19 PCR test appointment bookings As of Sept. 26, COVID-19 PCR testing appointment bookings are also supported if you need to book an appointment for a PCR test. An important thing to note is that eligibility for a PCR test is assessed using the COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool prior to booking. The PCR test is an accurate and reliable test for diagnosing COVID-19 and takes place at various sites in IH. You can make an appointment by calling the Digital Health Support Desk. Zoom virtual visits Do you have virtual visits with your care provider? The Digital Health Support team can help you download the Zoom videoconferencing app, set up a test Zoom visit, or help troubleshoot any other Zoom technical issues you may be having. Contact options: The Digital Health Support Desk is available seven days a week at 1-844-870-4756. Be sure to have your care card or BC Services card handy. Monday to Friday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. PST Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST Statutory holidays: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. PST At any time, you can email DHSupportDesk@interiorhealth.ca with your support questions or submit via an online form. These requests are typically responded to within 24 business hours. Or, if you need help navigating to the right information on the IH website, the Digital Health Support Assistant chatbot can help point you in the right direction. 

It is now recognized nationally, marked by the colour orange. But Orange Shirt Day has deep-seated meaning for Kukpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars of the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) – because its roots are entwined with the horrific history of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) and Canada’s dark legacy of residential schools. Many children from WLFN, along with children from Ulkatcho First Nation, Mt. Currie First Nation and other First Nations communities were forced to attend St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School. Their stories, and the stories of children who attended residential schools across Canada, are now being told – and remembered every year on Sept. 30, now known as Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Chief Sellars recently discussed the Sept. 30 days of recognition on Interior Health’s Interior Voices podcast. "Intergenerational trauma is a real thing," he says. "What are we doing to address the intergenerational piece, break the cycle and start seeing healthier families and communities?"

Name: Madison Waddington (she/her/hers)Job Title: Ultrasound TechnologistYears of Service: 10Worksite: Royal Inland HospitalCommunity: KamloopsAncestral Territory: Secwepemc / Shuswap Interior SalishAdvice to live by: Live your life to the fullest; we are not guaranteed tomorrow. Madison Waddington is an outgoing, energetic ultrasound technologist. She works at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) in Kamloops, the city where she was born and raised. “I first got into the medical field because I was following in my dad’s footsteps to become an X-ray technician.”

A whole new language has been introduced to our daily conversations, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Words and phrases like variants, mRNA vaccines, and rapid antigen testing have become commonplace as we have learned about coronavirus and how to keep ourselves safe and healthy from the disease. And now a new set of words has entered the local lingo – monovalent and bivalent vaccines. So what exactly do those words mean? We asked Kristiina Smith, an immunization specialist with Interior Health, to help us better understand these terms, which most people will start hearing more about as invitations for COVID-19 booster shots begin going out this fall. “Simply put, a monovalent COVID-19 vaccine targets a single strain of the virus, while a bivalent vaccine targets two strains,” Kristiina says. “The booster shots you’ve had previously have been monovalent – targeting the original COVID-19 virus. This fall, the booster is a bivalent vaccine, formulated to attack both the original virus and the Omicron BA.1 virus which we’re seeing more of in our communities.” For this fall’s boosters, Health Canada has approved the Moderna Spikevax Bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for use as a booster dose for people 18 years of age and older. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine with two strains available in Canada, and is expected to provide better protection against the Omicron variant that is making people sick in the community. Kristiina says vaccines that target more than one variant of virus are not new. In fact, your annual flu shot is usually a trivalent or quadrivalent vaccination – targeting the three or four strains of influenza that scientists predict will be most prevalent in our communities during respiratory illness season. “Because viruses change over time, it’s important that we continue to get our booster shots for COVID-19 and for the flu when they become available,” she says. “That’s how we’ve been able to resume our day-to-day lives, like attending sporting events, school events like graduation and music concerts. It’s all about establishing immunity for your community.” Learn more: For information about COVID-19 vaccinations for those over age 11, visit our COVID-19 Immunization Clinics page. For vaccination information for children, visit the COVID-19 Children Under 12 Vaccines page. Register for vaccinations in the provincial Get Vaccinated system.

Name: Chris Foley (he/him/his)Job Title: Workplace Health & Safety AdvisorYears of Service: 20Worksite: Commerce CourtCommunity: PentictonAncestral Territory: SyilxFavourite Quote: “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a ride!’” — Hunter S. Thompson Workplace Health & Safety advisor Chris Foley is originally from Howell, Michigan. After marrying his Canadian wife, Jacquie, he moved to B.C. in 1993. They’ve lived in Summerland for the past 28 years, where they raised four amazing children. Chris has a fun-loving nature, and he’s always looking forward to the next adventure. When it comes to his job, Chris is hard-working and serious about helping others. “I started 20 years ago as a home support worker and care aide. Then, I worked as a rehab assistant because of the desire to help patients. Since I got the opportunity to join the Workplace Health & Safety (WHS) team, I’ve kept sight of the patient care piece, but focus more so on staff safety and well-being nowadays.”

Immunization and vaccines are important throughout your life. Vaccines are products that produce immunity to a specific disease. Immunization (or vaccination) protects people from disease by introducing a vaccine into the body that triggers an immune response. Read on to find out five important things you should know about immunizations and vaccines, and visit our Immunization and vaccines page for more information.