Please see the attached document to learn more about the looks, contaminations, and risks associated with the current drug alerts.

Please see the attached document to learn more about the looks, contaminations, and risks associated with the current drug alerts.

People living in Kamloops and surrounding communities will benefit from more access to team-based care with the opening of the new North Shore Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC). “We are taking action throughout B.C. to strengthen primary care, so people have health-care services they can count on closer to home,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “This includes opening 39 urgent and primary care centres to connect people to doctors and nurse practitioners, while also helping relieve pressure on hospitals and emergency rooms. By adding a second UPCC in Kamloops, people living in the entire region will have easier and more convenient access to high-quality, non-emergency health care.” The UPCC is located at units 21-22 inside the Northills Centre at 700 Tranquille Rd. It will provide urgent primary care seven days a week, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., including statutory holidays, beginning Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. The UPCC will offer primary-care services for people who need support for their health concerns within 12 to 24 hours, but do not require an emergency department. Conditions such as sprains, cuts, high fevers and minor infections are appropriate for the UPCC. The UPCC will be staffed by family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists and administrative staff. When fully staffed, people will be cared for by approximately 30 full-time equivalent health-care practitioners. “We are excited to welcome patients to the second urgent and primary-care clinic in Kamloops at Northills Centre, where it will be co-located with our laboratory and medical-imaging departments,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO, Interior Health. “This convenient, comprehensive access to care will help reduce the need to travel for different services for people living on the North Shore.” The UPCC is available to people who do not have a primary-care provider, as well as those who are unable to schedule an appointment with their primary-care provider within a convenient timeframe. The UPCC will support people who are seeking a family physician or nurse practitioner to register with the Health Connect Registry through the Provincial Attachment System. “There is a great need for additional health-care capacity in the Kamloops area and this urgent and primary care centre on the North Shore will benefit many people in the Thompson-Nicola region who are seeking care,” said Mike O’Reilly, chair, Thompson Regional Hospital District. “Our board welcomes this new facility, and we were pleased to contribute to capital costs.” The Kamloops North Shore UPCC can be accessed by walking in during the opening hours or by calling the Kamloops UPCC central phone line at 250 314-2256. The phone line opens at 10 a.m. and people can call to book an appointment at the new North Shore UPCC or the Urgent Primary Care and Learning Centre (UPCLC) at 311 Columbia St. “With the opening of the second urgent and primary care centre in Kamloops, more people will have access to urgent and primary care,” said Katherine Brown, executive director, Thompson Region Division of Family Practice. “The Thompson Region Division of Family Practice has worked with Interior Health to provide connections with providers to share information about the new facility and practice opportunities. The UPCC is a piece of the broader provincial primary-care strategy, which includes a variety of initiatives.” The total capital cost of the new UPCC is $5.4 million, with the Ministry of Health contributing $3.4 million and the Thompson Regional Hospital District funding $2 million. The Ministry of Health has approved annual operating funding of $6.7 million. This UPCC is part of B.C.’s primary health-care strategy, launched in 2018, that focuses on team-based care. There are 39 UPCCs open. Together, they have had approximately three million patient visits. Eleven more UPCCs are expected to be in operation by the end of 2025. Establishing UPCCs throughout the province puts patients and community back at the centre of health-care delivery. Quick Facts: The Kamloops North Shore UPCC is the 10th UPCC operating in the Interior Health region, along with Kamloops’ first, Ashcroft, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Kelowna, Penticton, Rutland, Vernon and West Kelowna.  The first UPCC in Kamloops opened in 2018 at 311 Columbia St. The Kamloops South Shore UPCC has approximately 36,000 visits per year. Interior Health UPCCs have had approximately 754,000 visits since 2018 when its first UPCC opened. Learn More: To learn more about UPCCs in the Interior Health region, visit:https://www.interiorhealth.ca/information-for/patients-and-visitors/urgent-and-primary-care-centres To read about B.C.’s primary-care strategy, visit:https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/bcs-primary-care-system andhttps://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0034-001010 To learn more about how B.C. is connecting more people to family doctors and nurse practitioners, visit:https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024HLTH0043-001541 Read the original release on BC Gov News

Salmon Arm and area residents are advised of an important change regarding access to the emergency department at Shuswap Lake General Hospital (SLH). The emergency department entrance to the hospital will be closed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8 while we replace the current doors as part of general maintenance for the facility. The emergency department and all normal weekend services are open for patients. However, during this temporary change, patients and visitors will need to use the alternate fourth-floor entrance off 10th St. NE.; this entrance is identified on signage as the “Main Entrance” and is just off the main parking lot located closest to the hospital. Signage will be in place and support people will be at the entrance to direct people or take people who need assistance to the emergency or other departments. Wheelchairs will also be available at this entrance. Ambulance access to the emergency department is not impacted by this temporary change. Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is needed 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. Interior Health appreciates the public’s patience and understanding as we make these upgrades to SLH.

Please see the attached document to learn more about the looks, contaminations, and risks associated with the current drug alerts.

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

Merritt and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Nicola Valley Hospital.   Emergency services will be unavailable from 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22 to 8 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. Patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops 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.

Merritt and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Nicola Valley Hospital.    Starting 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18 to 8 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, emergency services will be unavailable and patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital, 311 Columbia St, Kamloops.   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 (IH) has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2025. This special designation recognizes employers across the country who provide exceptional workplaces. “Our people are the heart of Interior Health and, undoubtedly, the reason why it is such a great place to work. This accolade reflects the hard work, passion, and dedication that each staff member brings to their role and workplace every day,” said IH president & CEO Susan Brown. “We strive to provide the safest environments, education, and resources for our staff to support diversity and inclusion, and cultural safety and humility initiatives across Interior Health.” The Canada’s Top 100 Employers awards is an annual competition that considers a wealth of criteria, such as: diversity and inclusion; benefits; physical workplace; student/new graduate opportunities and training; recruitment and retention; employment standards; community involvement; and more. The top employer award shows IH scores high in all aspects.  “This is a beautiful region with something to offer everyone, whether you are seeking a rural lifestyle or a more urban environment. We provide fantastic benefits and a wide range of opportunities. But the people and the teams that make up Interior Health are truly what makes this such an exceptional workplace,” said Taryn McGregor, IH corporate director, compensation & recruitment. “The degree of dedication, passion and commitment they have for the patients and clients we serve – as well as the way they support each other – is something everyone at IH should be proud of.” Watch the IH Top Employer video to learn more about why IH is one of the top 100 places to work in Canada. Find in-depth coverage about why IH was chosen as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers in The Globe and Mail. For more information about why IH was chosen over hundreds of other organizations, and to view the full list, visit the Canada’s Top 100 Employers web site.   With more than 26,500 employees and 2,800 medical staff, IH provides a wide range of integrated health services across B.C.’s southern Interior. Since its inception in 2001, IH has been working and partnering for the health and well-being of the over 870,700 people living in a region spanning 215,000 square kilometres and located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the  Dãkelh Dené; St’át’imc; syilx; Tŝilhqot’in; Ktunaxa; Secwépemc; and Nlaka’pamux Nations.  Explore exciting new career opportunities with IH at Jobs.Interiorhealth.ca.