Visiting Patients in Hospital

We encourage the family and friends of our patients to come and visit them in the hospital because you are an important part of their recovery. Please check with staff on the specific unit for details; however, below are some general guidelines to follow when visiting a patient.

• Do not visit the hospital if you are feeling unwell (for example, have a cold or flu) or have been near someone else who is ill. We want our patients to have every chance to get well
• Wash your hands or use available alcohol-based liquid/foam hand sanitizers before and after visiting a person in hospital
• Only two visitors should visit at a time
• Visitors must leave the room if asked to by the patient or staff, if nursing or medical care is to be given
• Our Smoke Free Policy restricts smoking on Interior Health property. We are pleased to provide a smoke free environment for our patients, residents, clients, and visitors
• We encourage a scent free environment for the comfort of our patients, families, and staff
• Please avoid the use of perfume, cologne, and other heavily scented products while visiting our hospitals
• This year, visitors are requested to have had an influenza (flu) vaccine or wear a mask when visiting patients during the flu season (from the beginning of December to the end of March). By following this policy, you will help to protect your loved ones – the people you are visiting – from getting a potentially serious illness.

Designated visiting times are flexible and vary between facilities. Search for a hospital in our Location Directory to find specific facility visiting hours. 

Visiting hours for special care units may be different from regular visiting hours. Please check with staff on that unit for specific times.

• This service is intended for well wishes only

  • Other messages that contains matters of business or inappropriate content will be deleted. Only messages with text will be delivered. Do not send images or graphics of any kind with your email – they will not be delivered. This service cannot be used to confirm that a patient is indeed registered.

• Do not send confidential information

  • Even though Interior Health volunteers do treat patient messages as private documents, we do recommend that confidential items not be sent using this system.

• This service is only for message delivery

  • Patients are unable to send a response through this service

This program is available at a number of our hospitals and long-term care homes, including:

​Hospitals

• Kelowna General Hospital

• Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops

• South Okanagan General Hospital Acute Care, Oliver

• Penticton Regional Hospital

• Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, Trail

• Vernon Jubilee Hospital

​Long-Term Care Homes

• Brookhaven, West Kelowna

• Cottonwoods, Kelowna

• David Lloyd Jones Home, Kelowna

• Dr. Andrew Pavilion, Summerland

• Gateby, Vernon

• McKinney Place, Oliver

• Moog & Friends Hospice House, Penticton

• Noric House, Vernon

• Orchard Haven, Keremeos

• Parkview Place, Enderby

• Pleasant Valley Manor, Armstrong

• Polson Extended Care, Vernon

• Ridgewood Lodge, Penticton

• Sunnybank Centre, Oliver

• Three Links Manor, Kelowna

• Trinity Care Centre, Penticton

• Westview Place, Penticton

When sending an e-wish, disclosing your and the patient’s personal information is voluntary and will be kept confidential. No one will use any of the information you provide for any other purpose than to deliver your e-wish.

Your privacy and that of the patient is very important to us, and while we have limited the personal information collected to your email address, full name and the patient’s full name, you should be aware that all emails are exposed in transit on the web. This means someone may be able to access your email address and see that you are sending a message that identifies the patient is in hospital. Also, the email may flow outside of Canada and be subject to the laws of another country.

The risks are low but you should be aware of them. Since the patient is not giving his/her permission to reveal this information, you should also consider whether he/she would approve.

The personal information you send in your email message is collected by Interior Health under the authority of section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act of BC (FIPPA). If you have any questions about collection and use of this information, please email the Interior Health Information Privacy & Security office or phone, toll-free: 1-855-980-5020.