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Oliver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital due to limited physician availability. Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2. Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time. All other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan 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.  The emergency department in Oliver is normally open 24/7.

Oliver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital due to limited physician availability. Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29. Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time. All other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan 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.  The emergency department in Oliver is normally open 24/7.

Oliver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital due to limited physician availability. Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28. Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time. All other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan 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.  The emergency department in Oliver is normally open 24/7.

Merritt and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Nicola Valley Hospital due to limited physician availability. From 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 26 to 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, emergency department services will be unavailable and patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. During this time, all other inpatient services will continue as normal at Nicola Valley 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.  The emergency department in Merritt is normally open 24/7.

Oliver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital due to limited physician availability.  Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24 to 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 25. Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time. All other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan 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.   The emergency department in Oliver is normally open 24/7.  

A new memorandum of understanding between Interior Health (IH) and the seven Interior regional hospital districts (RHDs) will strengthen existing partnerships dedicated to improving care for people in the Interior.  As part of the capital planning process, IH submits a funding request letter to the RHDs each December outlining the equipment, capital improvement projects and digital health investments for each region. The memorandum of understanding strengthens information sharing, transparency and collaboration between Interior Health and the regional hospital districts and outlines additional expectations regarding updates on funded and proposed capital projects. Interior Health has committed to share annual capital plans and forecasts for future priority investments, as well as provide detailed information for major projects over $5 million. The memorandum of understanding will be reviewed every two years by IH and the RHDs. IH is responsible for health-care services and develops an annual capital plan outlining the capital investment needs. As per the Hospital District Act, regional hospital districts provide funding to Interior Health for capital costs associated with the construction, acquisition and maintenance of health-care facilities and major equipment in the local area as identified in the annual capital plan. Regional hospital districts may fund up to 40 per cent of the investment. The seven regional hospital districts in IH include: Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District, Thompson Regional Hospital District, North Okanagan Shuswap Regional Hospital District, Central Okanagan Regional Hospital District, Okanagan Similkameen Regional Hospital District, West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District and Kootenay East Regional Hospital District.  Quotes: Susan Brown, IH President and Chief Executive Officer - “Our regional hospital districts are key partners when it comes to capital projects in our regions. Their financial support to build, renovate and update our health-care facilities is integral to improve patient care and this agreement provides better clarity about the Interior Health planning and funding process,” said Susan Brown, IH President and Chief Executive Officer. “We value the feedback and information provided by the local representatives and this agreement lays out clear expectations regarding sharing information on the projects we are planning and have underway.” Joint quote from Regional Hospital District chairs (see list below) - “The seven Regional Hospital Districts of the interior, working together with Interior Health, have come to an agreement on a framework which will guide the budgeting process for annual capital planning and subsequent investment in health-care facilities throughout our region. This agreement is exciting news and addresses a number of concerns which were the focus of negotiations over the past few months. We are confident this memorandum of understanding is a positive step forward in terms of accountability and will serve to create a better working relationship between Interior Health and the Regional Hospital Districts.”  Al Richmond, Chair, Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District Mike O’Reilly, Chair, Thompson Regional Hospital District Kevin Acton, Chair, North Okanagan Columbia Shuswap Regional Hospital District Loyal Wooldridge, Chair, Central Okanagan Regional Hospital District Martin Johansen, Chair, Okanagan Similkameen Regional Hospital District Frank Marino, Chair, West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District David Wilks, Chair Kootenay East Regional Hospital District

Oliver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at South Okanagan General Hospital due to limited physician availability. Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, November 23. Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time. All other inpatient services will continue as normal at South Okanagan 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.

People in Rutland will see increased access to team-based health care with a new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) and a community health centre (CHC). “People living in Rutland and surrounding communities will directly benefit from increased access to health-care services delivered through a new urgent and primary care centre and a new community health centre,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “Integrating physicians, nurses and allied health professionals means patients can receive timely and comprehensive team-based care. These two centres are examples of our continued work to increase access to primary care services.” The UPCC provides care for people with non-life-threatening conditions who need to see a health-care provider within 12 to 24 hours but do not require an emergency department, such as people with minor cuts or burns, headaches and minor infections. Additionally, the clinic will help attach more patients to ongoing team-based primary care services, including mental-health support. The UPCC will open in a phased approach. Until Nov. 29, operating hours will be 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. From Nov. 30 until Dec. 7, operating hours will expand until 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. From Dec. 8, the UPCC will be at full operating hours and open daily from 9:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. for urgent care needs, and Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. for longitudinal care needs. “With the opening of Interior Health’s ninth urgent and primary care centre, we are demonstrating our commitment to connecting more patients with timely and comprehensive care,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO of Interior Health. “Residents of Rutland will have additional access to a team of expert health-care professionals who can address immediate health concerns and offer support for long-term health-care needs.” Once fully hired, a team of more than 33 full-time health-care staff will support Rutland UPCC, consisting of family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, physiotherapists and a community health worker. Patients can see a diverse team of health-care providers similar to other UPCCs. Interior Health will operate the UPCC and collaborate with Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice to integrate the UPCC into Rutland and Lake Country Primary Care Network as part of the larger Central Okanagan Primary Care Network. Rutland UPCC is a collaboration between Interior Health, Ministry of Health, Central Okanagan Regional Hospital District, Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice and local Indigenous partners, including the Okanagan Nation Alliance. To support residents in Rutland and the surrounding communities, the Province provided the Okanagan Family Medicine and Community Health Centre Society $5.5 million in one-time and operational funding for the creation of a new CHC, which opened on Nov. 20, 2023. It will begin by focusing on providing women's health and other underserved populations in Rutland. Once fully operational, the CHC will be open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and offer extended hours during evenings, weekends and holidays.  "The opening of Rutland CHC stands as a statement of support for marginalized communities in the Rutland area,” said Milt Stevenson, co-developer, Okanagan Community Health Society. “We look forward to providing a dedicated space which will ensure accessible care and inclusivity for underserved populations.” Community health centres are community-governed, not-for-profit organizations with services tailored to meet the health needs of the community they serve. The CHC would be governed and operated by Okanagan Family Medicine and Community Health Centre Society with support from Interior Health and Ministry of Health. Rutland is the 31st UPCC to be announced and opened under the government’s primary-care strategy. Of those, nine are in the Interior Health region. This includes Ashcroft, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton, Rutland, Vernon and West Kelowna. As part of the Primary Care Strategy initiatives, Rutland CHC is the seventh to receive ongoing operational funding from the Province. These centres are part of the government’s ongoing work to enhance access to health-care services within local communities. It supports B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy announced on Sept. 29, 2022, which identifies 70 key actions to recruit, train and retain health-care workers. Quotes: Dr. Christine Hoppe, physician lead, Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice – “We look forward to working with Rutland UPCC through the Rutland and Lake Country Primary Care Network to improve patients’ access to primary care and minimizing barriers to care. Primary Care Networks in our region are a joint initiative between local Indigenous partners, Interior Health and Central Okanagan Division of Family Practice.” Loyal Wooldridge, chair of the Central Okanagan Regional Hospital District – “Rutland is one of the fastest-growing urban centres in Kelowna and the new UPCC is an important investment to meet the growing needs of the community. The regional hospital district is proud to be a funder and supporter of primary care in the region. While there is still much work to be done, this is a step in the right direction to improve access to vital health-care services for families, seniors and those without direct access to doctors.” Sherri Kensall, board chair, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. – “Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. are pleased to see that the knowledge, skills and expertise of the health-care team will be utilized to improve access to health care for people in B.C. through urgent- and primary-care clinics. We believe that this approach will be pivotal in ensuring B.C. families can access health-care services and we are excited to see the opening of another urgent- and primary-care clinic in B.C.” Learn More: To learn about urgent- and primary-care centres, visit: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-services/urgent-and-primary-care-centres To learn about B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BCHealthHumanResourcesStrategy-Sept2022.pdf To learn about the Province's primary health-care strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0034-001010 Read original release from BC Gov News

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