Media Archive Blog Topic Listing Page

People in Williams Lake and the Cariboo-Chilcotin are a step closer to having enhanced health care close to home as Interior Health has signed a contract for the construction of the Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) redevelopment project with the preferred proponent, Graham Design Builders LP. “Signing this contract is a major milestone in the Cariboo Memorial Hospital redevelopment project,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “Soon people will see shovels in the ground as the modernized and expanded hospital begins to take shape. With a new emergency department, mental-health unit and cancer department, the redeveloped CMH will be a gamechanger for decades to come.” The CMH redevelopment project includes an addition to the existing hospital as well as renovations to the existing facility. The addition will be three storeys, plus a basement, and approximately 9,300 square metres (100,100 square feet). The redevelopment will add 25 in-patient beds for a total of 53. People will have increased access to health-care services as the expanded hospital will include a new emergency department, medical/surgical in-patient unit and mental-health and substance-use in-patient unit as well as an expanded ambulatory care and oncology unit, maternity and women’s health unit and pharmacy. The hospital will also include administrative, educational and training spaces for the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine. Construction will happen in two phases. Phase 1, which includes the addition, will begin in spring 2023 and is expected to finish in fall 2026. Phase 2, which includes renovations to the existing hospital, will begin in fall 2026 and is scheduled to be complete in early 2029. The budget for the project is more than $366 million and will be shared by the Province and the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District. Quotes: Susan Brown, president and CEO, Interior Health – “There are many dedicated people at Interior Health who have been working in collaboration with Aboriginal, community and Regional Hospital District partners to bring this project to this important next step to enhance health services in the region. The much-anticipated Cariboo Memorial Hospital expansion will improve access to many types of health-care services for people in Williams Lake and throughout the Cariboo-Chilcotin.” Al Richmond, chair, Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District – “We are excited to see this significant milestone achieved for the Cariboo Memorial Hospital redevelopment project. I express our gratitude to Minister Dix for delivering on his commitment to proceed with this greatly needed upgrade to a critical health-care facility. Along with the numerous other improvements to this critical facility, we are particularly pleased to see the increased number of care beds, a dedicated mental-health and substance-use unit, and space for UBC’s Faculty of Medicine. We are also excited to see the benefits that will come from the interfaith sacred space to support the traditional cultural and healing practices of Indigenous persons living in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.” A backgrounder follows.  Backgrounders Cariboo Memorial Hospital redevelopment project   The redeveloped Cariboo Memorial Hospital will include the following features: A new emergency department with 23 treatment spaces, an increase of 12; two trauma treatment bays; a seclusion room; an ambulance carport and a separate public entrance. A new medical/surgical inpatient unit with 36 beds, an increase of 16. A new mental-health and substance-use inpatient unit with eight single-occupancy rooms and a patient seclusion room. An expanded ambulatory care and oncology unit with 16 renovated treatment spaces. An expanded maternity and women’s health unit with four single-occupancy rooms for maternity care, two nursery rooms and two women’s health beds in private rooms. The maternity area will allow parents to stay in the same room with their babies until they are ready to go home. An expanded pharmacy, providing additional space for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. An interfaith sacred space, which will allow for traditional cultural and healing practices. 71 new parking stalls. As part of the Province’s commitment to environmental sustainability and green buildings, the addition at CMH will be designed and constructed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification at a minimum. Read original release from BC Gov News

After consultation with the Ministry of Environment and representatives from the Regional District of East Kootenay, Interior Health is issuing a precautionary Water Quality Advisory for Jaffray related to a large diesel spill that occurred Feb. 11 at a local service station. There are no observed impacts to groundwater at this time. Users of groundwater in Jaffray are advised to monitor their water and use an alternate source of water if they notice any changes in their water such as fuel odour or an oil sheen. Diesel fuel has a very distinct odour that should be noticeable at very low concentrations in drinking water. The Ministry of Environment is on site and providing direction for clean-up and remediation. Interior Health has provided recommendations for sampling and ongoing monitoring of groundwater in the area to assess impacts to drinking water. Please check the Regional District of East Kootenay website and our Media Centre for further updates.

Merritt and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Nicola Valley Hospital due to a physician vacancy from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Emergency services will be unavailable and patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. Emergency department services will be available again in Merritt at 5 p.m. Wednesday. 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.  

Interior Health has issued the following statement in response to the verdict regarding Interior Health’s former chief medical health officer: Interior Health is now aware of the guilty verdict issued today regarding Dr. Albert de Villiers.   Given the leadership and public-facing role of the chief medical health officer, and the critical importance for the incumbent to comply with all respects of professional standards, it is Interior Health’s position that a person convicted of criminal charges of this nature is unable to fulfill the duties of the position. Due to privacy laws, and the fact that the matter involving Dr. de Villiers continues to be before the courts, we are not able to provide further comment.

Please see the attached document to learn more about the look, contamination, and risk associated with the current drug alert. View more toxic drug, environmental, and COVID-19 alerts

Please see the attached document to learn more about the look, contamination, and risk associated with the current drug alert.  View more toxic drug, environmental and COVID-19 alerts.

New Denver and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Slocan Community Health Centre due to limited nursing availability. Emergency services will be unavailable until 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 21 and patients can access care at the Arrow Lakes Hospital at 97 1st Ave. NE, Nakusp. People in the community who need care due to life-threatening emergency (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 New Denver is normally open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week while Interior Health continues to recruit to fill positions to return to 24/7 operations.

Interior Health (IH) and the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions are preparing to open the first complex care housing locations in Kamloops and Kelowna in the weeks ahead. Complex care housing has on-site health care and social supports designed for people who live with significant mental health and addiction and or medical challenges that result in difficulty finding and maintaining housing. Complex care housing in Kamloops and Kelowna will have 24/7 staff who support residents with comprehensive, person-centred services to meet their needs. “Everyone deserves a home where they can feel safe and live with dignity,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “Complex care housing services opening in Kamloops and Kelowna mean that people with complex mental health and substance use challenges will be able to access housing or maintain their existing housing with additional supports tailored to their individual needs.” Across the province, complex care housing is being implemented in a range of housing types. Interior Health is implementing a model in Kelowna and Kamloops that will see smaller locations with five to eight suites. Interior Health will provide a range of health-care services on site including nursing, occupational therapy and social work. An IH cultural worker (Indigenous) and a peer support worker will join the teams to provide support from a lived experience perspective and offer further supports once the homes are up and running. Access to additional primary care resources will also be in place to ensure residents have access to ongoing general care. “The Complex Care model is new to our region and a first step towards improving the overall health and well-being of vulnerable individuals in Kelowna and Kamloops. This new service ensures residents have direct and ongoing access to services and supports from health teams who know their needs,” said Susan Brown, IH president and CEO. A contracted provider, Active Care Youth and Adult Services, will provide life skills training and support, which may include training in activities of daily living for things such as cooking, cleaning and shopping, psychosocial rehabilitation and education, preparation for independent living and support to access education and employment. Learn more about Complex Care Housing services “Active Care Youth and Adult Services is honoured to partner with Interior Health offering a new pathway out of homelessness. Complex Care is an exciting new initiative to support those who have multiple complex care needs, by providing a home with wrap-around therapeutic supports to help transform lives and, by extension, our community,” said Julie Pariseau, Active Care executive director. Interior Health and Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions have committed to 20 total complex care spaces in each community. Individual placements will be staggered to ensure each new resident has time to become familiar with their surroundings and the care teams supporting them. Quotes: Tom Dyas, Mayor of Kelowna “The opening of new complex care spaces in Kelowna is a small step in the right direction to help some of our most vulnerable citizens dealing with overlapping conditions including mental health and addictions. The City of Kelowna and our neighbouring local government partners have advocated for this type of program for some time and while this is welcome news, the need in Kelowna and the Okanagan region for this type of housing and care is significant." Reid Hamer-Jackson, Mayor of Kamloops “The City of Kamloops is excited to see these doors open to support vulnerable members of our community with complex care needs. This is a pivotal step in the right direction and we look forward to continuing to work together with the province to tackle the health-care needs in Kamloops.” 

Merritt and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Nicola Valley Hospital due to unanticipated limited physician availability as of 8:30 a.m. today. Emergency services will be unavailable and patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. Emergency department services will be available again at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. 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.