Media Archive Blog Topic Listing Page

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

People living with alcohol or opioid use disorder now have a way to directly and quickly access addiction medicine specialists. Anyone can now refer themselves to Interior Health’s Virtual Addiction Medicine (VAM) Clinic using a simple web form. The form, available at www.interiorhealth.ca/vam, lets people easily request an appointment to meet with an addiction medicine specialist. Family and friends can also refer someone provided the person being referred is aware and agrees. “The toxic drug crisis continues to devastate communities around the province,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “When someone struggling with addiction makes the brave decision to get help, we need to make it easy for them to get the right care they need, where and when they need it.  Allowing people to easily connect to an addiction medicine specialist through a website along with our new Opioid Treatment Access Line are important steps in improving access to resources and to saving lives.” “Since opening almost three years ago, the Virtual Addictions Medicine Clinic has helped thousands in our region successfully overcome substance use disorder, offering opioid agonist treatment for withdrawal symptoms and medications to reduce alcohol cravings," said Susan Brown, Interior Health president and CEO. “With this change people no longer need a referral from a physician and can contact us directly to gain faster access to these important services.” After someone requests an appointment, a clinician will contact them, usually within one business day. The client is then scheduled to meet an addiction medicine specialist by phone or video conferencing. The VAM team works with the client on a treatment plan that may include prescription medicines such as OAT. Once the client is comfortable with their plan, they are referred to health services based in their community. The VAM will soon be part of this regional central access line, and will work seamlessly with the new province-wide Opioid Treatment Access Line (1-833-804-8111) announced on August 27, 2024 to ensure that no matter where someone reaches out they are connected with the right substance use service for their needs. This expansion and other work underway to increase substance use services in IH is part of the recently announced Road to Recovery model. Road to Recovery is a new ‘made in BC’ model of addictions, which establishes a seamless continuum of care for addictions, from detox to treatment and after care. A critical next step in Interior Health’s implementation of this model will be to bring the expanded VAM and other substance use resources into a single access line where people can call to get information, receive a same day clinical assessment and get an individualized substance use care plan. All this will ensure clients residing in Interior Health can more easily be connected to services in their region. These new services will be especially beneficial to individuals living in rural and remote communities where accessing in-person care closer to home can be challenging. “The intent of this new service is to get clients into care as soon as possible by removing any stigma that may be associated with accessing addiction health services in person,” says Debi Morris, director, MHSU Network. “A client doesn’t need to go to a Mental Health and Substance Use clinic or speak to a health-care provider to self-refer. The service is also intended to remove any barriers to clients who can’t easily access a physical location or centre due to distance, mobility or transportation.” The web form was designed to be simple and straightforward. For example, a client doesn’t need an address, nor a BC Personal Health Number to request an appointment. People are offered the choice in how they are contacted, whether it’s their number, a friend’s number, at a shelter or another place they often go. The VAM Clinic is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. PST throughout the Interior Health region. For anyone needing immediate help, people are asked to visit their nearest emergency department, or call a 24-hour crisis line: Interior Crisis Line Network: 1-888-353-2273 or 1-800-784-2433 KUU-US (Indigenous) Crisis Line: 1-800-588-8717 Métis Crisis Line: 1-833-638-4722 Suicide Crisis Helpline - 988 For other mental health substance use services, people can call 310-MHSU.

Williams Lake and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.   Emergency services will be unavailable effective immediately until 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 1, 2024. Patients can access care at GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel or Bella Coola General Hospital in Bella Coola during this time.  All other inpatient services will continue as normal at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.  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.   The emergency department in Cariboo Memorial Hospital is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

Lillooet and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Lillooet Hospital and Health Centre due to limited physician availability. Emergency services will be unavailable from 7 a.m. on Saturday, August 31 to 8 a.m. on Sunday, September 1, 2024. Patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops during this time. All other inpatient services will continue as normal at Lillooet Hospital. 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.    The emergency department in Lillooet 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 1 p.m. on Friday, August 30 to 7 a.m. on Saturday, August 31, 2024. 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 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.  The emergency department in Oliver is normally open 24/7.

100 Mile House and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at 100 Mile District General Hospital due to limited physician availability. Emergency department services will be unavailable effective immediately until 8 a.m. on Saturday, August 31, 2024. Patients can access care at Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake, Lillooet Hospital and Health Centre in Lillooet or Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. 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.  The emergency department in 100 Mile House is normally open 24/7.

Williams Lake and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.  Emergency services will be unavailable from 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 28 to 6 a.m. on Thursday, August 29, 2024. Patients can access care at 100 Mile District General Hospital in 100 Mile House, GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel, or Bella Coola General Hospital in Bella Coola during this time. All other inpatient services will continue as normal at Cariboo Memorial Hospital. 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.  The emergency department in Cariboo Memorial Hospital is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Grand Forks and area residents are advised that Interior Health has secured physician coverage tonight for the emergency department at Boundary District Hospital. The emergency department will be open effective 8 p.m. Monday, August 26. 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.   The emergency department in Grand Forks is normally open 24/7.

Williams Lake and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.   Emergency services will be unavailable effective immediately until 7 a.m. on Monday, August 26, 2024. Patients can access care at 100 Mile District General Hospital in 100 Mile House, GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel, or Bella Coola General Hospital in Bella Coola during this time.   All other inpatient services will continue as normal at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.   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.    The emergency department in Cariboo Memorial Hospital is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.