We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories. Name: Sarah LaFleur (prev. Donnelly) Job Title: Coordinator, Clinical Student Placement Years of Service: 2.5 Worksite: Community Health & Services Centre Community: Kelowna Ancestral Territory: “Syilx” (Saay-ilks) / Okanagan Interior Salish Favourite Quote: "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."  -Leo Bscaglia Since receiving her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) in 2004, Sarah LaFleur knew she wanted to support and work with nursing students. So, Sarah's work today is a perfect blend of her aspirations and work experience. Born and raised in Alberta, Sarah's background includes teaching post-secondary BSN students, bed-side nursing in acute care and managing long-term care in remote northern Alberta. It's the expertise of coordinators like Sarah that advances health-care education in B.C. The Coordinator, Clinical Student Placement, is responsible to liaise, strategize, support, facilitate and coordinate all placements for post-secondary students that require practicums to receive their credentials. In 2020, IH played host to 5,103 students. In fact, of all the health authorities in B.C., IH places the second-highest number of students each year. An independent and resourceful individual who enjoys a challenge, there's nothing that makes Sarah feel prouder than when she's able to negotiate a declined clinical student placement in to an acceptance. Never one to stay at rest, Sarah is looking forward to finishing her Master's in Nursing degree. Additionally, in her free time, you can find her quilting and crocheting in the beautiful city of Kelowna. Sarah's nomination keeps the We Are IH loop going: “I recommend Aneta D'Angelo, Director, Clinical Education, because she does tremendous work in her portfolio of clinical education, including Clinical Student Placements, Employed Student Nurse (ESN)/New Grad (NG), and Specialty Education. I believe raising awareness for the Professional Practice Office is important and the work we do is valuable." - Sarah LaFleur Stay updated with careers at Interior Health Facebook: @IHJobs  |   Instagram: @InteriorHealthBC.Careers  |   LinkedIn: @InteriorHealthAuthority

On June 21, we celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. In June, we also celebrate National Indigenous History Month to honour the history, heritage and diversity of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. This year, National Indigenous History Month is dedicated to the missing children, the families left behind and the survivors of residential schools. This week's Interior Voices podcast begins with reflection on the confirmation of the 215 children found at the site of the former residential school in Kamloops. The team shares resources to support those who are grieving, educational resources for those who want to learn more, and links to celebrations and virtual activities planned for this month.   "While we are coming together to talk about National Indigenous Peoples Day, we also need to acknowledge what is going on in our communities right now." -Vanessa Mitchell, Practice Lead for Aboriginal Health and Program Manager for Aboriginal Cultural Safety and Humility "When we're asking, 'What can we do--where do we start?', if you haven't already read some of those integral documents, I encourage you to read some of those and refer to the calls to action," says Vanessa. "Because while we may not be able to move an entire mountain, there are pieces we can do within our sphere of influence." Learn more about National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day on Season 3 Episode 4 of the Interior Voices podcast. Resources Mentioned in this Episode Resources for Support: KUU-US Crisis Line Society – 24 hr Crisis Line: 1-800- KUU-US-17 (1-800-588-8717) Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society (IRSS) Crisis Line – 1-866-925-4419 Métis BC Crisis Line – 1-833-638-47 Kid’s Help Phone – 1-800-668-6868 Educational Resources: Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls To Action First Voices Learn Michif Celebrating the Day and the Month: First Nations Health Authority News and Events and Facebook page Métis Nation BC Facebook page and Website National Indigenous Peoples Day National Indigenous History Month CFNR (Canada’s First Nations Radio) Celebrations APTN Indigenous Day Live Sources for Orange Shirts: Métis Nation BC Orange Shirt Society  

We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories. Name: Lisa Zetes-Zanatta Job Title: Executive Director Clinical Operations, Rural Acute and Community, Thompson and Cariboo Regions Years of Service: 18 Worksite: Thompson Cariboo Shuswap Corporate Office Community: Kamloops Ancestral Territory: Secwepemc (She-whep -m) / Shuswap Interior Salish Favourite Quote: "You can either focus on the lemons or enjoy the lemonade." Lisa comes from a diverse background, having been raised in New York then living for three years in rural Nicaragua as an epidemiologist. It was in Nicaragua that she fell in love with the rural context of health care (and learned to speak fluent Spanish). Now, after 20 years, she has found her way back to delivering meaningful health care in diverse, rural communities and supporting the people who live there.  Lisa describes herself as focused, quality driven and ethical. For those who know her, this description is perfect. Lisa is dedicated to delivering person-centred, quality care, which shines through in her every day.  "I love the fact that I can influence the care delivery model and quality focus for a large region. I am lucky that I am able to work in the region that has four different First Nations represented, with 38 different communities in this beautiful, Thompson-Cariboo region. I have come to love the can-do and 'git-er-dun' attitude of the people we serve and staff teams in rural areas." In the last several years, Interior Health has experienced an increase in floods and wildfires, and now a global pandemic - increasing the need for health care.  "The team has stepped up at all levels of the health authority to put our patients first and provide the best care possible in some of the most challenging times I have seen in a long career of health-care delivery. I am extremely proud." While Lisa is grateful for the technology that has provided communication support throughout the pandemic, she is looking forward to seeing her team and colleagues in person. Outside of work, Lisa enjoys knitting, sewing, crafting, decorating and playing with her amazing, black lab, "not-so-puppy" puppy.  Lisa is wife to her amazing husband Robin, a technical director of an animation company, and mom to two wonderful boys. Tristan (20) is attending Thompson Rivers University in the cellular molecular microbiology program. Dylan (14) is in grade 9, a hockey goalie, and is on the ice daily. As a family, they love heading up to their cabin in the Cariboo to have fun in the forest, on the dock, and in the lake. Thank you, Lisa, for your outstanding leadership and all that you do to support rural communities and people in the Thompson Cariboo region. Lisa's nomination keeps the We Are IH loop going: “I would like to nominate Karen Cooper, director of clinical operations for allied health, community & seniors care in the Thompson region. I have never met someone who gives more in her day to her work. She knows more about Interior Health operations than anyone in this region, as she has worked in so many facets of health care. – Lisa Zetes-Zanatta   Stay updated with careers at Interior Health Facebook: @IHJobs  |   Instagram: @InteriorHealthBC.Careers  |   LinkedIn: @InteriorHealthAuthority

Could you be the key to the next breakthrough in health care? Join us on REACH BC and lend your voice to patient-oriented research.   How you can make a difference REACH BC connects people with health researchers across B.C. Volunteers can participate in clinical trials or become a patient partner. Anyone can sign up! Most of the studies available right now relate to COVID-19, but in the future there will be other research topics available. At Interior Health we are fortunate to have a committee made up of patient partners, who champion patient-oriented research in our region. They help to set priorities for patient-centred health research and promote patient-initiated research projects and patient partners on research teams.   COVID-19 has proven that even in the toughest of times, we work better together. By connecting people with researchers, we can build a stronger and healthier B.C.    

Thirty-year-old Brittany is loving life these days. She has a job she loves, a new puppy (adorably named Cali – short for California Roll), a cozy home, a vehicle, and recently got engaged. Most importantly, the Kelowna resident who was formerly homeless has control of the opioid addiction that previously cost her everything. Brittany credits Opioid Agonist Treatment along with the support of her fiancé and people she met through Narcotics Anonymous for successfully turning her life around. Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) describes medicines prescribed by doctors and specialized nurses to help stabilize people who are addicted to opioids like heroin and fentanyl. “My mother passed away a year ago from her addiction to alcohol. That really made me decide I wanted to get on a better path,” she says. Now, as Interior Health’s first peer services worker in the OAT program, Brittany is using her personal experience to help others navigate access to medications and additional substance use supports.   OAT Peer Services Worker Brittany and her fiancé. Although everyone’s experience of addiction and recovery is unique, OAT is considered the first choice for treating people who are addicted to opioids. It involves the use of long-acting medications - within Interior Health these typically include buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) and methadone. Over the last several years there have been some additional treatment options introduced, including slow-release oral morphine (Kadian), Sublocade (injectable buprenorphine, an injection given once every four weeks), and injectable opioid agonist therapy (currently available in Kelowna, and there is a tablet injectable program in Kamloops).   OAT medications are generally given once per day and relieve withdrawal symptoms and cravings, reduce illicit opioid use, decrease risk of overdose and reduce the risk of transmission of serious viral infections, such as HIV and hepatitis C.  “Opioid Agonist Treatment, when adequately dosed, results in retention rates of 60-80 per cent, with only a minority of patients continuing to use illicit opioids,” says Dr. Leslie Lappalainen, Interior Health’s addiction medicine lead. "OAT is better than withdrawal management alone (i.e. detox), and when we compare it to behavioral treatments, like inpatient treatment or counselling, patients who are on OAT tend to have longer periods of abstinence from opioids, stay engaged in addictions treatment for longer periods, and have lower rates of illness such as infections, as well as lower rates of death.”  “Opioid use disorder has really good outcomes when treated!” says Dr. Lappalainen. “People do really well on treatment. Generally the treatments are a longer-term treatment with a gradual taper off, as the outcomes are much better when done this way, as opposed to really short treatment periods, or rapid tapers off OAT.” For Brittany, who recently marked her one-year anniversary since quitting illicit opioids, the future looks bright. “I’m looking forward to starting a family of my own, one in which I can set a good example for my children as a mother who is strong, healthy, happy, and free of addiction - something I didn’t have when I was growing up.” To learn more about OAT and opioid use disorder, visit www.interiorhealth.ca.  

We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories. Name: Rachel Thibault Job Title: Administrative Primary Care Supervisor, Manager Support for Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) Years of Service: 18 Worksite: Community Health & Services Centre Community: Kelowna Ancestral Territory: “Syilx” (Saay-ilks) / Okanagan Interior Salish Favourite Quote: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started." -Mark Twain Rachel's outgoing personality and love of connecting with people drew her to pursue a career in Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU). Her kind demeanour, bright smile and optimistic outlook help her excel in her role as Administrative Primary Care Supervisor, and Manager Support for MHSU. Over the past 18 years, she expresses her gratitude and pride for working within her community as a team to keep communities safe. Her work with marginalized populations has implemented positive change, especially throughout Urgent Primary Care. Her passion for mental health inspires those around her to advocate for others and give back to the community.  "I'm proud to come to work every day and be a part of teams that are contributing so much to our community, especially during a dual pandemic. From the COVID testing site to the Urgent and Primary Care Centres to Outreach Urban Health and the Rutland Aurora Centre, I see patients come into all of these places and receive excellent quality care from the staff. I've seen people, literally, be brought back to life by co-workers. I watch our staff facing COVID head-on every day, putting themselves at risk to ensure our community is safe. I'm very proud to work alongside these health-care heroes." - Rachel Thibault, Admin - Primary Care Supervisor, Manager Support for Mental Health and Substance Use Rachel shares her love of working within a team that is so inspired to create meaningful change that improves people's lives, especially those in marginalized populations. In the face of a pandemic, Rachel continued to motivate her team to provide mental health and substance use services to those in need. Her determination to help people live their best lives drives her career at Interior Health. Motivated to live life to the fullest, she inspires others to do the same.  Outside of work you can find Rachel reading, cooking, playing music or snuggling with her cat. Rachel's love of music intrigued her to pursue piano as a child, leading her to play at the Royal Conservatory in Grade 8. A lover of learning, she admits to a wealth of knowledge for trivia, especially Harry Potter-themed. After visiting Disneyland nine times, eager for her 10th trip, she has the insider knowledge to win the game. Looking forward to travelling again, Rachel is excited to plan her next getaway. Thank you, Rachel, for all that you do!  Rachel's nomination keeps the We Are IH loop going: "I will nominate Natasha Allen-Mark, MHSU Admin Team Lead. Her dedication and level of caring about the job she does deserve to be recognized!"- Rachel Thibault Stay updated with careers at Interior Health Facebook: @IHJobs  |   Instagram: @InteriorHealthBC.Careers  |   LinkedIn: @InteriorHealthAuthority

Meet Henry. Like many Canadians in their 50s, Henry is a caregiver. His 85-year-old mother, Louise, was recently diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. She lives alone in the same rural town she's called home for the past sixty years. Louise relies on Henry for help with running errands, paying bills and a coordinating doctor’s appointments. Does this story sound familiar? That's because there are more than one million caregivers in British Columbia. A caregiver is someone who provides physical and/or emotional care to a family member, partner, friend or neighbour. Recently, Henry has been struggling to keep up with the demands of juggling his job and caring for his mom. He's also worried about her independence and safety as her dementia progresses.   Help is available Henry reached out to the free caregiver support line offered by Family Caregivers BC. He was able to get help understanding the options available to him and his mother. He also got support to bring his siblings together to discuss a plan for their mother's future care. As a family, they decided that one of Louise's granddaughters, Eleanor, would move in with her and provide care. Eleanor has joined the caregiver coaching program to help her understand resources available and to make a personal plan for herself while supporting her aunt.  If you or some you know is like Henry, Louise or Eleanor, let them know there are free services and resources to help them on their journey as caregivers. Family Caregivers of British Columbia Homepage

We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories. Name: Kim Dedora Job Title: Manager, Employee Experience Years of Service: 13 Worksite: Polson Annex Community: Vernon Ancestral Territory: “Syilx” (Saay-ilks) / Okanagan Interior Salish Favourite Quote: "Don't judge a book by its cover and always choose kindness when you can!" Kim's outgoing personality and love of connecting with people drew her to pursue a career in Human Resources. Her kind demeanour, bright smile and optimistic outlook help her excel in her role as Manager of Employee Experience at Interior Health. Over the past 13 years, her proudest moment at IH was being promoted to Manager of Employee Experience. This unique opportunity to build a department from scratch included hiring an amazing team of staff who dedicate their energy to make workplaces and experiences at IH the best they can be. Kim shares her gratitude for her talented team and reflects on the incredible work accomplished since the inception of the department.  "Working in Human Resources inspires me every day. It's fascinating because it is all about people; their interests, passions, dynamics, personalities, all driving how they show up to work every day. Working in an organization the size of IH, it's easy to reduce the work to a to-do list. But if you put the person at the center of what you're doing, you can make a huge impact." - Kim Dedora, Manager, Employee Experience Employee Experience Team; Tracy Mooney, Anna Meyers, Kim Dedora, and Elisa Brown. Leading diversity and inclusion initiatives for IH is important to Kim because the work aligns with her personal values. From an early age, she has always had a passion for social justice, equity and fair treatment for all. She would like to express her gratitude to the entire Employee Experience team and the work they have accomplished this past year. Conducting Interior Health’s first-ever Employee Census, refreshing IH’s Diversity and Inclusion Plan, establishing the Employee Voices Advisory Group and developing the Anti-Racism Policy, were personal highlights for her. Kim was blown away that over 10,000 employees participated in the Employee Census, sharing their personal information, so that IH can focus D&I efforts where they are needed most - this was especially humbling. This month, Kim and her team are working to promote awareness campaigns to recognize Pride and National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21). Being an ally has never been more important. The recent and tragic news of the discovery of 215 children buried at the former Kamloops Residential School has been devastating for all staff, and especially Aboriginal staff. She considers working in Human Resources to be a privilege and an opportunity to support staff on behalf of the organization. She is proud to support the work under the Aboriginal HR Plan, and with the Aboriginal Employment team, accomplish to goals of increased Aboriginal recruitment and retention at IH. Left; Kim and Anna, Orange Shirt Day, 2019. Right; Kim with her children, Orange Shirt Day, 2020. Another proud moment for Kim at Interior Health was being trusted with the responsibility of designing, leading and emceeing the Linking Leaders event, with over 300 IH leaders in attendance. Kim shares how she felt an incredible sense of accomplishment for pushing herself out of her comfort zone trying something new. The success of this high-profile event did not go unnoticed and her involvement continued the following year.  Raised in the Okanagan close with her family, Kim returned from completing her undergrad degree in Victoria to raise her own family in Vernon. Year-round you can find Kim exploring the mountains spending time with family and friends, in the summer weekends at Shuswap Lake or Eagle Bay and up at Silver Star in the winter. An adventurer at heart, she looks forward to travelling with her family and exploring new places. Thank you, Kim, for all that you do! Kim's nomination keeps the We Are IH loop going: "I would like to nominate Jenna Dietz. Not only is Jenna a dedicated and inspiring manager, but she is also friendly, kind and genuinely cares about her staff. Jenna even completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) while she was on maternity leave! Talk about raising the bar for new moms everywhere! She is just a gem!"- Kim Dedora   Stay updated with careers at Interior Health Facebook: @IHJobs  |   Instagram: @InteriorHealthBC.Careers  |   LinkedIn: @InteriorHealthAuthority

The day starts at 8 a.m. as Dr. Jim Huang arrives for a morning shift amidst a flurry of activity. His day always begins with a meeting alongside a dozen or so fellow physicians at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH), as they make important decisions about patient care. Huang is what is known as a hospitalist; think of it as a quarterback with a stethoscope. “As a hospitalist, my role is that of the family physician, but in the hospital,” he explains. “I engage with, directly manage and treat patients as if they were my own in the community.” That means facilitating care between patients and specialists in the hospital, as well as communicating with family physicians about their patients’ future follow-up once discharged from KGH. Huang, who joined KGH in March 2019, deals with a wide scope of injuries and illnesses. He can list the type of patients he doesn’t treat on two fingers: pediatric and maternity cases. Huang’s hospitalist group takes care of about 200 to 250 patients every day at the 711-bed hospital. Each morning he gathers with his fellow physicians in the hospitalists’ room where the team — already dressed in blue scrubs or white coats — await instructions from the week’s rotating ‘leader.’ “We try to divvy up and even out the workload for everyone, and sort out emergent medical needs right away,” explains Huang. “Optimally, we’d like to see 18 to 20 patients a day, as patients can be quite sick and require coordination with specialists.” Like other KGH hospitalists, he’ll typically spend the entire week on one ward for better doctor-patient continuity of care. It’s busy, intense work, but just what Huang trained for as part of the first class of MDs to graduate from the Southern Medical Program (SMP) based at UBC Okanagan. Established in 2011, the SMP became the fourth distributed site in the province for UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. Each year the SMP admits 32 new students as part of the provincial cohort of 288. The program has a particular interest in supporting northern and rural medicine and provides up to 10 spots annually for qualified applicants. Huang and his classmates in that inaugural class were the first doctors to complete their medical training in the Interior Health region upon graduating in 2015. To date, the SMP has graduated 189 doctors who have entered careers in family medicine and the full range of medical specialties. Huang was five when his family moved from Taiwan to Maple Ridge, BC. He was the first in his immediate family to go to university, completing a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology and biochemistry at Simon Fraser University. Early in his university studies Huang had no idea what career he wanted to pursue, but decided to push towards medicine in his third year. “That’s quite late nowadays. You have to anticipate what’s required to get into medicine. You need a good combination of volunteer work, travel and life experiences,” he explains. That meant he had catch-up work to do to bolster his application to medical school. “It’s super competitive to get into UBC,” says Huang. The SMP, he adds — with its small classes, training opportunities at 30 medical sites in the BC interior and a buffet of recreational attractions in the Kelowna region — is especially popular among med students vying for those 32 seats. That posed a challenge for Huang, who had to work to pay for his education while at university. Before moving to Kelowna for the SMP, though, he managed to volunteer in Vancouver for an extended period at BC Children’s Hospital. At the hospital’s Sunny Hill Health Centre he worked with children with disabilities, helping in areas such as music and aquatic therapies. Huang’s hard work ultimately paid off and he was accepted into UBC’s Faculty of Medicine with a catch: he was asked whether he wanted to be one of the first students in the brand-new SMP program. “It piqued an interest in me because, one, the location. And two, joining that first class and being part of building a program and helping it grow was appealing.” The first graduating class of the Southern Medical Program. He began his medical studies in Kelowna in January 2012. By his second year of residency he was doing four-month stints in small rural locations like Grand Forks and Sechelt, learning about different specialties, how illnesses progress and functioning as a rookie family physician with his own roster of patients. “When you’re left alone with your own sick patients for the first time, it’s very daunting,” Huang recalls. “Your heart jumps out of your chest. But you remember you’re well-trained and get through, dealing with the anxiety and emotions.” Third-year students have the option to do an Integrated Community Clerkship, which Huang completed in nearby Vernon. “Going through the clerkship, I realized I wanted to do longitudinal care. I wanted to see patients over and over again during their experience in the community or hospital.” He adds that he enjoyed doing what he calls “lumps and bumps,” or minor surgeries like closing incisions, removing lesions and operating the camera during laparoscopic surgery. Those are things students in medical school at larger universities get fewer opportunities to do. “Surgeons in those smaller communities are quite happy to have you help them,” says Huang. “We get to try everything. That’s why I feel smaller programs are so beneficial.” Jim with his wife and young son. That first year, the tournament raised $1,000 for the Kelowna Hospital Auxiliary. The now-annual event continues to raise tens of thousands of dollars for various charities and is organized by subsequent cohorts of SMP students. In recognition of his efforts supporting the inaugural golf tournament and SMP community, Huang was a recipient of the 2020-2021 UBC Alumni Builder Award. One of the benefits of his role as a KGH hospitalist is that Huang often works with the doctors who once taught him in the SMP, which he relishes. As for his advice to students interested in attending the SMP, he says perseverance is key during the challenging program. “Sometimes it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s there. Keep striving for excellence. And don’t forget to enjoy the friendships made while in the SMP. Life only gets busier.”   This story was published as part of a larger collection of stories called In the Field - about UBC's faculty and students.