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Celebrating opening of improved neonatal intensive care unit at East Kootenay Regional Hospital Summary: Expanded intensive care unit in Cranbrook now open for newborns 34 weeks and older Modern equipment, private family spaces improve comfort, safety and care quality Fewer families need to travel for neonatal care, strengthening local maternity services Families living in Cranbrook and surrounding communities are now benefiting from better care for infants with the renovation and expansion of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at East Kootenay Regional Hospital. “The new NICU provides modern equipment and a supportive environment so newborns and families can receive specialized care close to home,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “The expanded unit strengthens maternity care in this region and ensures every child has the best possible start in life.” Accessing care in the East Kootenays Previously, many families who needed specialized newborn care had to travel long distances, often to larger centres like Kelowna or Calgary. Upgrading the local NICU means more newborns can receive care close to home. For parents, it means less travel, less stress and more time together as a family, during a vulnerable time. For staff, it means a better, more functional environment to deliver care. And for the region, it strengthens the local health system by ensuring babies can be born and cared for in their community. “The regional NICU in Cranbrook is a significant improvement for our community’s health care,” said Dr. Paul Kahlke, department head, pediatrics, East Kootenay Regional Hospital, Interior Health. “We can now provide specialized care for newborns locally, reducing the need for transfers out of the region. This means faster, more accessible support for families and a healthier beginning for our newborns.” Highlighting benefits of the new NICU The new NICU opened on Nov. 13 and provides: neonatal services for newborns aged 34 weeks or older who are at low to moderate risk of health complications; new, modern equipment for specialized neonatal care; private spaces for parents and newborns, including comfortable furniture and supports for infant feeding and lactation; improved security features, such as controlled access in and out of the unit, as well as an infant abduction prevention system; enhanced infection prevention with dedicated hand hygiene sinks; and additional work and nursing stations to support timely care, improve patient assessment and allow staff to fully utilize their specialized skills. Supporting infants in East Kootenays The project was funded by the Province, the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District and the East Kootenay Foundation for Health. The Province provided almost $820,000 for the NICU. Construction on the NICU began in early 2025 and the unit officially opened on Nov. 13, 2025. All renovations were completed on schedule. “The newly renovated nursery at East Kootenay Regional Hospital will make it easier and faster for newborns to receive high-quality care,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “It also brings greater peace of mind to parents and families, who can now rely on timely treatment close to home. With this upgrade, the support newborns need is here in the community, whenever growing families need it.” The NICU is part of the Province’s work to improve and expand health-care services in the Interior and throughout B.C.   Quotes: Steve Morissette, MLA for Kootenay-Monashee – “The new NICU at East Kootenay Regional Hospital reflects the strength of our community. Families in Cranbrook, and across the region, will now have access to enhanced care close to home, thanks to the generosity of local donors and the support of government partners.” Sylvia Weir, president and CEO, Interior Health – “This is about giving new mothers, parents and their babies the very best start in life. Families in the Cranbrook region will now have access to specialized intensive care close to home, in a safe and supportive environment, during what can be both a joyful and overwhelming time.” David Wilks, chair, Kootenay East Regional Hospital District – “As a contributing funder, we are proud to partner in this project, as it significantly strengthens support for newborns, parents and the dedicated staff who care for them.”  Brenna Hong, executive director, East Kootenay Foundation for Health – “On behalf of the board of directors and staff at the East Kootenay Foundation for Health, we want to thank our donors and supporters from the bottom of our hearts. Because of you, more babies and families can stay close to home and receive the care they deserve.” Learn More: To learn more about the East Kootenay Regional Hospital NICU, watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVzQ5TYUiqY Read original release on BC Gov News

Interior Health (IH) is advising the public of health risks at the Spruce Hill Resort due to contraventions with the BC Public Health Act and Drinking Water Protection Act. Due to food and water safety concerns, the restaurant (including continental breakfast), pool and hot tubs have been ordered closed by IH Environmental Public Health. Operating permits for food and recreational water (pool and hot tub) expired on March 31, 2025. Despite progressive enforcement, which includes public health orders, tickets and action through the courts, IH has confirmed through inspections that the resort continues to operate and there is a current risk to people using these facilities. IH’s recommendation to the public is to avoid using the pool, hot tubs and restaurant at the resort until the operator brings them into compliance with BC legislation and they no longer create a risk to public health. IH continues to monitor the report and will take further enforcement action under provincial legislation to address current public health risk at the resort. Contact IH Environmental Public Health if you have a complaint, concern or question about a potential public health risk at a facility (related to food, water or other amenities). If you suspect you have become ill from swimming, eating or drinking at this resort, contact your primary care provider and local Health Protection office. IH posts current and outstanding enforcement actions that fall within the mandate of Environmental Public Health on our public website.

The first steps of a review of the health authorities have been completed, which included reducing administrative costs, and work is underway to improve efficiencies and redirect savings to frontline services. “People in every corner of B.C. deserve a health-care system that keeps pace with their growing and complex needs,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “That’s why we’ve launched this review last March, to hear directly from the people doing the work and to identify how we can make our system more efficient. While that review is being completed, we’re already taking steps to reduce administrative duplication in health authorities so they can focus on what matters most: delivering high-quality care for patients across the province.” Over the engagement period of the review, approximately 20,000 health-care workers attended town halls. More than 15,000 workers completed surveys in support of the review. While the review continues, the Province is acting on its early findings by bringing together administrative and corporate services across regional health authorities and the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), including legal, supply chain, finance and human resources. The functions will be delivered through a new standalone shared services organization that supports all health authorities, allowing them to focus more on delivering better care for patients. The new organization will be established by spring 2026. Services will gradually transition to the new organization over time, and as details are finalized. The changes will remove bottlenecks, reduce redundancies, improve supports and create more consistency and co-ordination throughout the system at a lower cost. It will also encourage innovation and the sharing of ideas that strengthen B.C.’s health system. By consolidating administrative and corporate services, PHSA will have a clearer mandate, allowing it to focus on the specialized provincewide services that benefit patients, including cancer care, ambulance services and pediatric, maternal and women’s health. PHSA provides a limited set of optional shared services to the regional health authorities, which leads to duplication when some health authorities do not use them. Establishing a new dedicated organization for corporate and administrative services and making participation mandatory for all health authorities and the PHSA will save time, money and effort that can instead be redirected to patient care. This consolidation will also allow the Province to leverage economies of scale to secure better pricing and contracts, shifting from five separate processes to a co-ordinated provincial approach. It also positions the health system to better support front-line services. The work builds on interim expenditure measures underway to control administrative costs during the review. Since the review launched in March 2025, health authorities have eliminated, closed or left vacant 1,100 positions. Beginning in 2026-27, this is anticipated to save more than $60 million annually that can be redirected to front-line care. Learn More: To learn more about the Health Authority review, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025HLTH0057-000565 A backgrounder follows.

Please see the attached document to learn more about the look, contamination, and risk associated with the current drug alert.

100 Mile House and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at 100 Mile House District General Hospital. Emergency services will be unavailable from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. Patients can access care at Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake during this time. All other inpatient services will continue at 100 Mile House District General Hospital. People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.  Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

UPDATE: Temporary service interruption extended at 100 Mile District General Hospital emergency department 100 Mile House and area residents are advised that further temporary changes to emergency department hours at 100 Mile House District General Hospital have been extended due to travel impacts on medical staff. Emergency services will now be unavailable until 4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. Patients can access care at Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake during this time. All other inpatient services will continue at 100 Mile House District General Hospital. People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.  Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week. 

New Denver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Slocan Community Health Centre.   Emergency services will be unavailable from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. Patients can access care at Arrow Lakes Hospital in Nakusp during this time. Emergency services are expected to resume as scheduled at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 9-1-1 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.  Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week. 

Please see the attached document to learn more about the look, contamination, and risk associated with the current drug alert.

Construction underway on new long-term care facility in Penticton Summary: Construction has begun on a new long-term care home in Penticton The new home will provide 200 long-term care beds for south Okanagan seniors It is set to open for seniors in 2028 Seniors in the south Okanagan will soon have access to more long-term care as Kaigo Senior Living, in partnership with the Province, breaks ground on a new long-term care home in Penticton. “This new long-term care home will be a place of comfort and connection for seniors from Penticton and the surrounding area,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure. “It means that people can stay close to their loved ones and community, while receiving the quality care they need and deserve.” Supporting Penticton seniors Skaha Seniors Community, the new long-term care home, is expected to open in 2028 and will include: 200 new beds with single-occupancy rooms and home-like spaces for daily living and activities 12 households with shared quiet spaces, a chapel, a library, therapy and wellness rooms, activity and craft rooms, and a family dining area staff housing and classroom space to support college training and student practicums Located at 453 Green Ave., the new long-term care home will help meet the needs of the growing seniors’ population in the Interior Health region. It will be designed, built and operated by Kaigo Senior Living. The new design will offer a home-like environment where seniors can live with dignity and families can feel confident their loved ones are supported. “As they age, people need the confidence that care, comfort and community are close at hand,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “This new long-term care home will be a meaningful addition to Penticton that will offer residents the individualized support and dignity they deserve.” Investing in B.C. seniors More than $3.5 billion has been invested since 2018-19 to expand and improve the quality of care for seniors in British Columbia, including investments in primary care, community-based services, home health, long-term care, assisted living and respite services. This funding includes improvements in primary care, home health, long-term care and assisted living. The Province continues to work with its partners to improve care for seniors, including delivering thousands of new and upgraded long-term care beds. Quotes: Susie Chant, parliamentary secretary for seniors’ services and long-term care – “I am thrilled to hear that more seniors will be supported at this new long-term care home in Penticton called the Skaha Seniors Community. By working together with Interior Health and partners like Kaigo Seniors Living, our government continues to move forward with the work across B.C. to ensure older adults can age with dignity and families can feel confident their loved ones are supported close to home.” Harwinder Sandhu, MLA for Vernon Lumby – “Our government is making historic, once-in-a-generation investments in long-term care so every senior can age with dignity and receive the compassionate support they deserve. After many years on the front lines of health care, I know first-hand how essential quality long-term care is for seniors and their families. This new 200-bed long-term care home in Penticton reflects our commitment to providing better care close to home for generations to come.” Sylvia Weir, president and CEO, Interior Health – “Our priority is making sure that people in Penticton receive the care and support that fits their individual needs, close to home. By adding these long-term care beds, we can better support people through their care journey, reduce stress for families, and help residents receive the right supports in a safe, comfortable home. We appreciate our partnership with Kaigo Senior Living as we work together to enhance long-term care services for people across the region.” Kevin Svoboda, president and CEO, Kaigo Senior Living – “Beginning construction on this new long-term care home is an exciting milestone for our team and for the Penticton community. We’re committed to creating a space that offers comfort, dignity and high-quality care, and we look forward to welcoming residents and their families into a supportive place they can truly call home.” Learn More: To read the funding announcement for this project, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024HLTH0148-001523 Read original release on BC Gov News