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A fourth medical simulation centre has opened in Interior Health (IH) at Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH) in partnership with the University of British Columbia Southern Medical Program. “It’s welcome news this fourth simulation centre will enhance patient care across the Interior region by providing health-care professionals and students with the opportunity to learn from realistic, safe medical scenarios,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. Simulation programs are designed to create medical scenarios providing health-care professionals and students with the most realistic experience for learning and refining procedures, patient care and team dynamics while in a safe environment. Simulation centres allow inter-professional teams to work together to practice, ideally in a similar environment with their own equipment, while also utilizing manikins, actors and more to help re-create major incidents. “Simulation exercises create an environment for research to enhance the quality of our patient care and safety. Through simulation, we want to promote collaboration and learning so that participants are truly achieving excellence in health-care delivery,” said Dr. Jared Baylis, medical director for the Interior Health simulation program and medical education simulation lead for the Southern Medical Program. “Exercises can help strengthen skills and team communication, prompt reviews of specific protocols and may encourage teams to make changes to optimize workflow, space design and much more.” In October 2022, the IH/UBC Simulation Program became the only program in B.C. to be accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The program also offers many sessions accredited by the UBC Continuous Professional Development program, earning Continuous Medical Education credits for practising physicians and medical staff. The simulation program started in 2009 in the Kootenays with rural physician Dr. Jeff Plant and clinical nurse educator Eve Burkart to support their rural colleagues in providing best-practice quality care to patients experiencing high-risk, low-frequency events such as cardiac arrest or trauma. Although an emerging educational tool at the time, the program quickly gained traction and was mobilized to support rural emergency departments throughout the IH network. “It’s been fantastic to see this program grow from its beginnings in the Kootenay region to where we are now,” said Eve Burkart, clinical practice nurse educator with Interior Health. “Simulation greatly benefits the medical staff, students and the teams they work with as they gain exposure to a range of patient events that they might not see regularly during residencies and rotations. This team focus was, and continues to be, particularly important in rural areas. Simulation provides specific experiences and training to strengthen the provision of evidence-based care without any risk to a patient.” In addition to the new Penticton centre, Interior Health has the Pritchard Simulation Centre in Kelowna, the Rae Fawcett Simulation Centre in Kamloops, the Kootenay Boundary Simulation Program in Trail, and the IH Rural Mobile Simulation Program that travels to 29 rural and regional sites. “Simulation provides essential training that can really improve patient quality and safety. It's highly beneficial to learn and practice with real-life scenarios that includes all team members,” said Dr. Devin Harris, executive medical director, quality and patient safety, Interior Health. “Clinicians can learn and gain confidence and expertise in a supportive environment. This preparation will pay dividends for when an event does occur and will lead to healthier communities in the Interior.” Interior Health, UBC Faculty of Medicine, and UBC Okanagan School of Nursing have embarked on this partnership to implement, operationalize and provide simulation education throughout the Interior Health region. The joint collaborative nature of the program allows the development of comprehensive patient curriculum for the benefit of staff, students and clinical practitioners who are located and practice within the geographic boundaries of Interior Health.

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

Interior Health and Thompson Region Division of Family Practice are pleased to announce that the Thompson Region Family Obstetrics (TRFO) clinic will begin accepting new referrals for expectant parents starting next week.   “This clinic is a vital resource for new and expecting families in Kamloops and surrounding communities who require access to local maternity care,” said Minister of Health Adrian Dix. “I want to applaud all the efforts that allowed these services to resume.” Collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Health, Thompson Region Division of Family Practice, local maternity care providers, and Interior Health have addressed concerns related to the stability of the clinic, which resulted in a temporary interruption to referrals for new expectant parents. The TRFO clinic provides care for parents and families in Kamloops and surrounding communities, like Merritt, Barriere, Ashcroft, Lillooet, Lytton, and Clearwater starting from early pregnancy up to six weeks following the birth of their babies. The clinic supports on average about 600 to 700 deliveries per year.  “Interior Health knows how important access to stable, quality care is for expectant parents and families,” said Susan Brown, Interior Health President and CEO. “We are committed to working with all partners to ensure this clinic is successful moving forward and to keeping patients at the heart of all these discussions.”  The TRFO clinic will start accepting new referrals next week, and work collaboratively with the newly opened antenatal care clinic to ensure timely access to care for expectant parents.  “TRFO physicians believe that the support provided by IH and the Ministry of Health for the clinic will help to ensure its ongoing sustainability,” said Dr. Shaun Davis, co-lead of the TRFO physician group. “We are optimistic that the supports put in place will allow for the permanent recruitment of family doctors who work in obstetrical care. The collaboration with the antenatal care clinic will ensure timely access to all maternity services in Kamloops.” The Thompson Region Family Obstetrics clinic is located on the first floor of the Clinical Services Building at Royal Inland Hospital. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers 24-hour call shifts.  

Unattached pregnant patients in the Kamloops area can now access the Midwifery Antenatal Care Clinic in Royal Inland Hospital to receive ongoing care before birth.  The clinic receives referrals from family doctors, nurse practitioners, midwives and the Kamloops Urgent Primary Care and Learning Centre (UPCLC). Patients who have had their initial appointments at the Kamloops UPCLC are automatically added to the referral list.  Patients who have not had a confirmed pregnancy with a dating ultrasound should book an initial appointment with a family doctor, nurse practitioner, midwife or the Kamloops UPCLC (250-314-2256) to be added to the referral list.  A member of the care team will reach out to all patients on the referral list via phone by June 19 to book appointments based on their due dates and other specific needs. Instructions will be given directly to patients in these calls.  To contact the Midwifery Antenatal Care Clinic, please dial 250-314-2782 and select 1 to leave a message. Staff check messages frequently and will respond in a timely manner.  We encourage patients to also connect with Healthy from the Start (855-868-7710) for additional support and information. This is a toll-free, confidential phone line that connects patients with a public health nurse, who will share information, answer questions and help you get connected to resources in the community.

Salmon Arm and area residents are advised lab services at the Shuswap Outpatient Collection Lab at #2 - 2770 10 Ave NE, Salmon Arm will be unavailable from June 5-9, 2023 to allow for a safe and smooth transition into a new space. During this week, patients requiring urgent bloodwork only can present at Shuswap Lake General Hospital between 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Patients with routine bloodwork are asked to kindly wait until the new space opens on June 12. Additional staff will be available upon reopening to help attend to those who had to wait for their routine blood work. The upgraded Outpatient Collection Lab is being relocated to vacant space within the existing building. Community residents will experience a more modern environment with improved accessibility and efficiency of services.

Ashcroft and area residents are advised of temporary changes to service hours at Ascroft Urgent and Primary Care Centre due to limited physician and nursing availability. On May 20, services at the Ashcroft UPCC will be unavailable for scheduled and walk-in patients. Scheduled patients will be rebooked for the earliest available appointment date. During this time, patients can book same-day access to care at the Kamloops Urgent Primary Care and Learning Centre at 250-314-2256. 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 UPCC in Ashcroft is normally open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Clearwater and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital due to limited nursing availability.  Starting 11 p.m. tonight, May 15 to 7 a.m. Tuesday, May 16, emergency 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 Dr. Helmcken Memorial 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 Clearwater is normally open 24/7.

Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) in Kamloops has completed a three-year project that will see waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) collected in all 11 of its operating rooms, significantly reducing the hospital’s carbon footprint. Anesthetic gases used for surgeries are a known potent source of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Only five per cent of anesthetic gas is metabolized by the body, while the remaining 95 per cent is typically collected and vented out of the operating room and building. “Until the anesthetic gas recovery project, our emissions reduction strategy had been focused primarily on our buildings’ systems,” said Lorne Sisley, corporate director, facilities management and operations. “But when we started looking more closely at emissions from our operations, we noted anesthetic gases have a disproportionately high greenhouse gas emissions level. This new recovery technology will be one more step toward reducing our overall carbon footprint.” Recovering WAGs from RIH’s 11 operating rooms is the equivalent of taking 221 to 280 passenger vehicles off the road a year – IH’s total vehicle fleet emissions for all of 2021. Interior Health partnered with cleantech company Blue-Zone Technologies of Concord, Ontario for the three-year pilot project. Up to 100 per cent of the anesthetic gas that’s exhaled by a patient is collected in canisters in the operating room in Blue-Zone’s machines. Once the canisters are full, they’re sent to Blue-Zone’s facility where the gases are liquefied and turned into generic anesthetic gas using a patented distillation process. “This technology offers additional economic and supply benefits for hospitals, and also protects our health-care staff, communities and environment from the impact of anesthetic gases,” said Amanda McKenzie, manager of environmental sustainability at Interior Health and project lead. With the successful implementation of this technology at RIH, Interior Health is focusing on the other 80 operating rooms managed across the Interior region. Sisley added, “There are other sites we will be considering to make an even greater impact, plus there is the potential to change the anesthetic gasses we currently use to lower the initial emissions profile. We will be exploring other clinical operations as well, to ensure we are considering all opportunities to green our operations.”    For more information about Interior Health’s climate action vision and commitment to environmental sustainability, please visit: https://www.interiorhealth.ca/about-ih/climate-action

During National Immunization Awareness Week (April 24 – 30), Interior Health encourages individuals and families to stay on track with their immunizations. “It is hard to imagine a world without vaccines,” said Dr. Fatemeh Sabet, Interior Health medical health officer. “I am so grateful for having access to a simple tool that has saved millions of lives and prevented serious consequences of so many vaccine preventable communicable diseases.” Vaccines are available to protect against a variety of diseases such as cervical cancer, influenza, whooping cough, meningitis, chickenpox and hepatitis. In B.C., young children are offered vaccines at two, four, six, 12, and 18 months of age. As children get older and begin school, vaccinations continue to be offered. This is to help children develop protection against vaccine preventable diseases. Some vaccinations need booster doses as children enter their teens. Vaccines help protect us. For example, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is available to all children starting in grade six to protect against infection from types of HPV that cause certain cancers, such as cervical and mouth cancers. A 2019 study showed that the HPV vaccine cut the rate of early stages of cervical cancer by more than half in B.C. The need for vaccinations does not stop after childhood years. There are many vaccines recommended for adults. All adults in B.C. can get a booster of tetanus and diphtheria vaccine every 10 years. If you missed your basic series in childhood, depending on your health, age and other risk factors, you could be eligible for certain vaccines. “The single most important factor that helped us reduce risk of severe impacts from COVID-19 and get back to living in a safer environment has been vaccination,” said Dr. Sabet. “I am so thankful to everyone who stood up and played their part in protecting themselves and our communities by getting vaccinated.” Visit the Immunizations & Vaccines page for information on important immunizations for infants, children, adults, the elderly as well as immunizations for pregnant women and for travel. Contact your local health unit to speak to a public health nurse if you have questions about vaccines or getting your immunizations up to date.