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Interior Health is making temporary changes to the South Similkameen Health Centre hours. Starting Nov. 17, the Similkameen Health Centre will be open for emergency services on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, between 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. instead of its regular Monday to Saturday schedule. This change follows discussions with current physicians to provide predictable health services to the public on set days and support physicians in providing primary care to their patients during periods when they are not providing emergency services at the centre. All other inpatient services at Similkameen Health Centre will continue without interruption. When the health centre is closed, patients should call 911 or proceed to the nearest available hospital for care. Patients can access 24/7 emergency services at the Penticton Regional Hospital or Princeton General Hospital during these times.  At this time, Interior Health will work closely with physicians and our community and health partners about how we can sustain and improve health services, reduce physician burnout and strengthen physician recruitment efforts in Keremeos. We will provide further updates to the community as this planning evolves. Patients in Keremeos requiring care who do not have a family doctor can access care in Penticton at the Urgent Primary Care Centre, Penticton Regional Hospital or by calling 911.

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

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

Interior Health (IH) is asking young artists to share their thoughts and experience in its annual youth poster contest, Beyond the Buzz 2.0: Youth Voices on Substance Use, for a chance to win a gift card of $150 of their choice. Young people are the experts when it comes to understanding why youth use tobacco and vape, and how it impacts them, their friends, family, school and community – it’s critical to hear their voices. The poster contest is intended to engage schools, families, communities - and most importantly students - in meaningful conversations about substance use. Contest details Students from Grade 6 to 12 within the IH region are invited to submit original artwork in the form of a poster, illustration or infographic in one of the following themed categories:   Alcohol: Choices on Tap: Alcohol, Youth & Consequences  Tobacco: Tobacco impact: Commercial Tobacco’s Environmental & Community Legacy*  Vape: Unmask the Vapour: Nicotine, Addiction & Hidden Dangers  Cannabis: Mind at Risk: Cannabis, Brain Development & Youth Well‑Being  *Commercial tobacco is not reflective of traditional, ceremonial, sacred and medicinal uses of raw tobacco by Indigenous, and other cultures.  The contest, underway now with entries due by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2025, is split into two age brackets: one contest for youth in Grades 6 to 8, and the other for youth in Grades 9 to 12. The contest themes will remain the same for both age groups. A panel of teen judges from IH’s YOUTHWISE Advisory Council will select a winning poster for each theme within each age bracket. The winners will receive a gift card of $150 in value and have their artwork professionally printed and shared with their school district, shared throughout the IH region and displayed on IH’s social media channels and website.  The winners will be announced during the week of Jan. 18, 2026 – National Non-Smoking Week. For more information about the contest and how to enter, visit interiorhealth.ca/takeabreath.

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

Interior Health (IH), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, is engaging with partners to better support overnight emergency care through a mix of virtual and on-site staffing, which is expected to enable more consistent access by reducing unplanned service interruptions. Engagement is underway with physicians, staff, Indigenous and local governments to better understand perspectives and integrate them into the planning for the pilots planned at community hospitals in Clearwater, Nakusp, Lillooet, and Princeton.  “Virtual support has proven its value across many areas of health care, and integrating it with local emergency teams will give people in these four communities stronger, more connected care,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “It’s a forward-looking approach that strengthens rural emergency services and ensures patients receive timely, high-quality care.” The four community hospital sites are similar in size with low overnight patient volumes, which would allow physicians to share responsibilities—ultimately helping maintain access to care, promote physician wellness and improve staff retention.  “Strong partnerships are at the heart of rural health care,” said Sylvia Weir, IH president and CEO. “We’re taking the time to engage with physicians, staff and community partners to understand what might work. By listening and consulting from the ground up, we hope to shape a model that communities can trust and where front-line teams feel supported.” Virtual care is not new in rural emergency departments in B.C. The Virtual Emergency Room Rural assistance (VERRa) model has been used to augment in-person services across the province, keeping overnight care accessible for patients and relieving the workload on local physicians. This emergency care pilot project aims to build on this model by bringing it in-house to enable wider use and timelier coordination. IH has also used virtual care to successfully support in-patient care at Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake.  IH is committed to keeping medical staff, clinical health staff, community partners and the public informed throughout the development of this initiative.  What community leaders are saying “We see this virtual pilot program as a small but meaningful step toward greater stability in local emergency care,” said Tom Zeleznik, Mayor of the village of Nakusp “Our community welcomes innovative solutions, values the strong partnerships that support rural health care and appreciates the leadership from the Ministry of Health and Interior Health. At the heart of it all are our dedicated local doctors and nurses who keep our ER open, and our residents cared for.” “We applaud the ongoing efforts of Interior Health, the Ministry of Health and our local health-care staff and physicians in finding innovative solutions to support the hospital emergency department stays open 24/7” said Clearwater mayor Merlin Blackwell. “Working together to find creative solutions to our rural health-care challenges is really our best way forward.”  

Merritt and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Nicola Valley Hospital. Emergency services will be unavailable from 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, to 7 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. Patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops during this time. All other inpatient services will continue 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 811, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week. 

100 Mile House and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at 100 Mile District General Hospital. Emergency services will be unavailable from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. Patients can access care at Cariboo Memorial Hospital or Williams Lake Urgent Primary Care Centre during this time.  All other inpatient services will continue at 100 Mile 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 811, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week. 

Merritt and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Nicola Valley Hospital.   Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15 to 7 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. Patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops during this time.  All other inpatient services will continue 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.