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Clearwater and area residents are advised of a temporary change to the emergency department hours at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital overnight due to unforeseen limited staffing availability. The emergency department will be closed: 11 p.m. May 14 to 7 a.m. May 15 Interior Health regrets this temporary change to normal operations and reminds residents to take note of the following if they require care while the emergency department is closed: In the event of an emergency, call 9-1-1 Visit the emergency department at one of the following facilities: Royal Inland Hospital – 311 Columbia Street, Kamloops Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 (24-hour service) if you are unsure of your need to seek emergency care The emergency department in Clearwater is normally open 24/7. - 30 -

Interior Health has taken an innovative approach to exploring climate change by creating Community Health and Climate Change maps. “Recent events have demonstrated the importance of planning and preparing for natural disasters associated with climate change,” says Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown. “These new Community Health and Climate Change maps will support the safety and wellbeing of people living across the region and we encourage everyone to take the opportunity now to plan for the effects of climate change.” The Community Health and Climate Change maps will help governments and partners in their municipal planning by helping them understand climate-sensitive areas that could impact their building or expansion projects. The maps, created by Interior Health’s Healthy Communities program, focuses on four commonly experienced climate-related hazards in B.C.: High Temperatures Low Temperatures Flooding Wildfire Smoke Maps have also been developed separately for each of the regional districts within Interior Health to help local leaders understand the impact of climate change. For help navigating the maps, please refer to this guide. “The maps show the communities that are most vulnerable to different climate hazards and allow us to focus our efforts and work together to plan and prepare,” says Dr. Sue Pollock, Chief Medical Health Officer. “For example, the maps show communities that may be more affected by heat; this information helps us identify appropriate actions that communities can take in order to keep people healthy and safe.” The Community Health and Climate Change maps are a snapshot in time that project risks and probability related to weather-related events in the Interior. They support affected communities through readiness and planning, and build resilience through scenario-based planning for mitigation, and natural disaster support for communities. The maps will not only help with city planning, but can also effectively define resource allocation during natural disasters. The maps will also be used to deepen collaboration with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities as we work towards the common goal of supporting healthy communities as our climate changes. To learn more, visit Interior Health’s climate resiliency & planning webpage.

Expectant parents will benefit from improved access to comprehensive pregnancy care at the new Encompass Pregnancy Care clinic, which opened in March in Interior Health’s  Urgent and Primary Care Centre in Cranbrook, located in the Baker Street Professional Centre at 1311 2nd St. The clinic is supported by eight Cranbrook-based maternity physicians and staffed with an experienced pregnancy care nurse. Encompass Pregnancy Care was created to be a non-judgemental, inclusive, and culturally safe space in which all patients feel heard, at-ease, and supported.  “We’re a group of local physicians working together to provide all-encompassing, high-quality and standardized medical and supportive care to pregnant patients,” said Dr. Madeline Oosthuizen, Family Physician (FP) and Encompass clinic physician. “Parents will have the opportunity to get to know each member of our physician team, will meet directly each visit with our clinic maternity nurse, who is a wealth of information, and will be connected with other community resources and health services specific to pre and postnatal care.” Encompass Pregnancy Care is part of the East Kootenay Primary Care Network (PCN), a network of team-based care providers in the region. By being part of the primary care network and located in the Urgent & Primary Care Centre, parents attending Encompass Pregnancy will have one-stop access to team-based care, such as mental wellness clinicians, physiotherapists, social workers, and more. “We are excited to welcome Encompass Pregnancy Care as part of our urgent care team. The Primary Care Network partnership between Interior Health, Ktunaxa Nation and the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice has made it possible to expand services available to people in Cranbrook and Kimberley,” said Shannon Statham, Interior Health’s primary care lead for the East Kootenay. “With team-based care, patients can see the most appropriate health-care professional to treat their needs. We are proud to welcome new parents to the centre.” Encompass Pregnancy Care services include: Pre and postnatal care Labour and delivery in the East Kootenay Regional Hospital Early pregnancy loss support and management Pre-conception counselling Contraception options Family planning Lactation support The Encompass Pregnancy Care clinic is accepting new patients from Cranbrook and surrounding communities. If you would like pregnancy care, please phone the Urgent and Primary Care Centre to make an appointment: (250) 420-2323. Urgent and Primary Care Centres supports people who are experiencing non-life-threatening conditions such as an ankle sprain and need to see a health-care provider within 12 to 24 hours, but do not require an emergency department visit. Health-care professionals working in the facility operate in a team-based care environment where patients are connected with the practitioner who can best provide care for their injury or illness. The Cranbrook UPCC is a collaboration between Interior Health, the Ministry of Health, the Kootenay East Regional Hospital District, the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice and the Ktunaxa Nation.

Interior Health would like to inform people in Trail and the surrounding area of an upcoming temporary change to access Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH). As part of the ongoing redevelopment of KBRH, upgrades are taking place to the hospital’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical systems. As a result of this work, the hospital’s main corridor will be closed to foot traffic from May 14 to 30. During this period, all staff, physicians, patients and visitors will be redirected to use the second floor corridor. Signage will be posted at the hospital to provide directions and elevators will be available for use.   The current phase of the KBRH redevelopment project includes construction of new ambulatory care clinical space and an expanded pharmacy. Renovations are also underway to KBRH’s oncology and physiotherapy departments and its cast clinic. The renovations are part of significant investments in the Trail hospital. A new ambulatory care procedure unit is complete and opened in September 2021, while a new health information management department opened in July 2021. A new emergency department opened in September 2020.

Clearwater and area residents are advised of a temporary change to the emergency department hours at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital this afternoon and overnight due to unforeseen limited staffing availability.   The emergency department will be closed:   3 p.m. May 10 to 7 a.m. May 11   Interior Health regrets this temporary change to normal operations and reminds residents to take note of the following if they require care while the emergency department is closed:   In the event of an emergency, call 911. Visit the emergency department at one of the following facilities: Royal Inland Hospital – 311 Columbia Street, Kamloops Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 (24 hour service) if you are unsure of your need to seek emergency care.   The emergency department in Clearwater is normally open 24/7.   - 30 -    

Residents are advised the emergency department at the Slocan Community Health Centre will be resuming 24-hour service. “I would like to thank the community for its support while we managed Omicron-driven staffing challenges earlier this year and reduced emergency services to maintain safe patient care,” said Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown. “I’m pleased to share that Interior Health has successfully recruited two additional registered nurses to the community and we can now resume normal operations.” The emergency department will resume 24-hour service effective Tuesday, May 10. “I’m pleased the emergency department is resuming 24/7 service in our community,” said New Denver Mayor Leonard Casley. “Having access to 24/7 care provides our community with the ability to seek prompt medical attention regardless of challenges posed by geographical location and limited pre-hospital services.” Interior Health would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding as Interior Health took swift action in January to manage the COVID-19 driven staffing crisis.

Residents in Clinton and Ashcroft are advised of laboratory service changes in their communities. To reduce travel for Clinton residents, the Clinton Health Centre is now offering blood collection services on Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the support of a medical lab assistant from Ashcroft. Walk-ins are available from between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. and again between noon and 1 p.m.  Booked appointments are available between 8 a.m. and noon. The Ashcroft Health Centre will continue to provide collection services on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. People who require bloodwork on Wednesdays may book appointments in Merritt, Clinton, Logan Lake or Kamloops. Limited walk-in service is available. People can book an appointment online at www.labonlinebooking.ca or by calling 1‑877-740-7747. The call centre is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

As we close out National Immunization Awareness Week (April 23 – 30), Interior Health encourages families to stay on track with their immunizations. “Vaccines have saved more lives in Canada than any other medical intervention in the past 60 to 70 years,” said Dr. Carol Fenton, Interior Health Medical Health Officer. As one example, as late as the 1950s, the polio virus caused paralysis or death in thousands of people, most of them children. Thanks to the polio vaccines, Canada virtually eliminated polio by 1964 with the last case acquired in Canada in 1988.” Thanks to global efforts, vaccines are available to protect against diseases such as influenza, whooping cough, meningitis, chickenpox, hepatitis and specific cancers. Immunizations across the life span In B.C., young children are offered vaccines at two, four, six, 12, and 18 months of age. The vaccination process continues as children get older and begin school. A booster dose is needed for some diseases as children enter their teen years. In grade six, all children can get the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to protect against infection from types of human papillomavirus that cause certain cancers like cervical and mouth cancers. A 2019 study showed that the HPV vaccine cut pre-cervical cancer rates in B.C. by more than half. The need for vaccinations does not stop as you get older, as 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 of vaccines in childhood, or depending on your health, age and other risk factors, suggest you focus on the importance of pneumococcal and influenza as we get older as well as Zoster “The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of how effective vaccines are in preventing serious illness and death,” said Dr. Carol Fenton. “This National Immunization Awareness Week, I encourage families to review their immunization records and stay on track – both to protect themselves and those around them.” Visit our Immunizations & Vaccines page for information on important immunizations for infants, children and adults, as well as immunizations for travel. People can check their vaccine status on the Vaccine Status Indicator.

Clearwater and area residents are advised of a temporary change to the emergency department hours at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital tonight due to unforeseen limited staffing availability. The emergency department will be closed: 4 p.m. Thursday, April 28 to 7 a.m. Friday, April 29 Interior Health regrets this temporary change to normal operations and reminds residents to take note of the following if they require care while the emergency department is closed: In the event of an emergency, call 911. Visit the emergency department at one of the following facilities: Royal Inland Hospital – 311 Columbia Street, Kamloops Call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 (24 hour service) if you are unsure of your need to seek emergency care. The emergency department in Clearwater is normally open 24/7.