More health-care professionals are working in the Okanagan Valley, providing team-based health care to people as a result of the expanded primary care network (PCN) in south Okanagan-Similkameen. “People in the B.C. Interior deserve high-quality health care, close to home,” said Premier David Eby. “Now is the time to strengthen public-health care by building more hospitals and hiring health-care workers, not making devastating cuts. An expanded south Okanagan primary care network means new family doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and more, delivering the care people deserve.” People in the region are receiving team-based care from more than 36 full-time equivalent (FTE) health-care providers, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, Traditional Healers and allied health professionals, including social workers and mental-health clinicians, with more FTEs coming online soon that have been approved and funded. “We are putting people first by making significant investments into B.C.’s health-care workforce and system,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “With the hiring of dozens of health-care providers working directly in the south Okanagan, we are improving access to team-based care for more people, as well as connecting more people to a primary care provider.” PCNs mean that members of the team consult with one another to support a patient with their health concerns. For example, when someone with diabetes talks to a family physician or nurse practitioner who is with the PCN about their health, they can be referred to a dietitian who can support them in learning how to manage their health. That dietitian may also consult with a social worker for counselling if a patient is struggling with their diagnosis. A senior with arthritis can get care from a primary care provider who may then refer them to a physiotherapist. Patients will not have to travel far from home for care. The connection between providers is thanks to the PCN. This collaboration within the PCN team ensures holistic, appropriate and timely support is available without the patient needing to wait and travel a long distance to receive the specialized support of various disciplines. “Both patients and practitioners see the enormous value in team-based care,” said Roly Russell, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen. “With the challenges we’ve seen across the country for people accessing primary care, government support for our primary care network is more important than ever. With the addition of more health-care professionals and expanding the PCN into more communities in south Okanagan-Similkameen, we are making progress to improve access to health-care services, now and in the future.” As of May 2024, 22,558 people have been attached to a primary care provider through the South Okanagan Similkameen PCN overall. Those in need of a primary care provider can register to be attached through the Health Connect Registry. Through the South Okanagan Similkameen PCN’s rural growth plan, team-based primary care was extended to Oliver, Osoyoos, Princeton and Keremeos, as well as the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, Lower Similkameen Indian Band and Osoyoos Indian Band. The South Okanagan Similkameen PCN rural growth plan adds resources to strengthen services identified as high priority and meeting the specific health-care needs of people living in the south Okanagan-Similkameen region. These include: improved access to care for those with mild to moderate mental-health conditions within the primary care setting; better co-ordination of services for families and seniors who are frail, and people with complex health issues; more comprehensive and co-ordinated health care; and culturally safe care for Indigenous Peoples. The PCN is a partnership between the Ministry of Health, Interior Health, South Okanagan Similkameen Division of Family Practice, Indigenous partners, patients and other local community partners. The Ministry of Health added approximately $2.2 million to support the rural growth plan, for a total of $6.8 million in annual funding at full implementation for the operation of the South Okanagan Similkameen PCN. In addition, one-time funding of $3.4 million is also being provided, which includes change management and capital funding. When the South Okanagan Similkameen PCN launched in May 2019, it was based in Summerland, Penticton, Penticton Indian Band and Okanagan Falls with a plan to bring more communities into the network over time. The South Okanagan Similkameen PCN is part of B.C.’s plan to support health-care providers and increase patient access to primary care. There are currently 79 primary care networks, and work is underway to establish them in more communities throughout the province over the next two years. These actions are part of B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy, which puts people first by ensuring they get the health services they need and are cared for by a healthy workforce, now and in the future. The strategy focuses on 70 key actions to recruit, train and retain health-care workers while redesigning the health-care system to foster workplace satisfaction and innovation. Learn More: To learn more about the Province's primary health-care strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0034-001010   To learn more information about the Health Connect Registry, visit: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry To learn the one-year update of B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy, visit:  https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/HealthHumanResourcesStrategyOneyearUpdate-December2023.pdf Backgrounders Facts about the south Okanagan-Similkameen PCN Communities throughout the province are coming together to plan and create primary care networks (PCNs). PCNs are local community-based networks of family practitioners that plan and deliver the primary care needs of a community – in some ways this is similar to how school districts work together to plan and deliver education services.  PCNs can include family doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, social workers, midwives, mental-health professionals, First Nations and community providers and others, depending on the needs of the people who live there. These teams will include existing family doctor offices, nurse practitioners, services offered at health-authority facilities, community-health service organizations and more.  Each PCN will offer programs and services to help patients manage their health. Family doctors and nurse practitioners, working with a team of health professionals, will work together to address health and wellness concerns and help people achieve their health goals. Each PCN designs programs and services to best meet local needs, which vary by community and region, while integrating into the broader health system to provide wraparound care. Of the people in the south Okanagan-Similkameen region, approximately 9,000 patients are in the Health Connect Registry and have indicated they are looking for a family physician or nurse practitioner. Their needs will be addressed by the primary care network and associated strategies. The initial approval for the south Okanagan-Similkameen PCN was for approximately 24.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) health-care providers dedicated to the PCN. Through the PCN Rural Growth Plan, the total approved FTE increased to 41.75. As of April 1, 2024, 36.2 FTEs have been hired, which include: 6.2 family physicians 8.5 FTE nurse practitioners 5.0 FTE registered nurses 11.5 FTE allied health providers, including social workers, dietitians, community workers, mental-health and substance-use counsellors, and physiotherapists 1.0 FTE clinical pharmacists 2.0 FTE Traditional Healers 2.0 non-clinical support staff The establishment and expansion of primary care networks mean that many more patients: who don’t have a regular primary care provider, such as a family doctor or nurse practitioner, will be able to get one; will have an ongoing relationship with their primary care provider, which is important for their life-long health; will get access to faster, more convenient care from their doctor or nurse practitioner and the care team; will be provided and connected with a range of appropriate and accessible services and supports; will be informed about all aspects of their care in community; and will know where to go to get the care they need, even on evenings and weekends. What people are saying about the south Okanagan-Similkameen PCN Susan Brown, president and CEO, Interior Health – “An expanded primary care network into the south Okanagan-Similkameen communities connects more people with the range of services and supports they need to access care early and stay healthy.” Dr. Jennifer Begin, board chair, South Okanagan Similkameen (SOS) Division of Family Practice – “As a doctor working in team-based care in Penticton, we value allied health and nursing support for our patients in our clinics. The South Okanagan-Similkameen region was one of the first to hire primary care network positions in B.C. back in 2019 and we are pleased that all of the SOS communities now benefit from these resources with the expansion into our rural communities. We encourage anyone still needing a doctor or nurse practitioner to sign up with the provincial Health Connect Registry and not to call clinics directly as that takes time away from patient care.” Bernice Budz, CEO, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC – “The Association of the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC is pleased that the knowledge, skills and expertise of the entire health-care team will improve access to health care for people in B.C. through the expansion of the primary care network. We believe that this approach will be pivotal in ensuring B.C. families feel connected to their health-care team and we are excited to see the growth of primary care networks in B.C.” Martin Johansen, mayor of Oliver – “Approval of the Rural Growth Plan and expansion of the primary care network for the south Okanagan-Similkameen is exciting news. More people getting access to health care closer to home is a priority and a much-appreciated investment in our rural communities.” Celeste Keller, registered dietitian, south Okanagan-Similkameen primary care network – “It is great to see how the allied health team works together with physicians and nurse practitioners to support patients in their clinic. It makes for a familiar and safe space for patients, and ensures people get care in a timely manner.”

Interior Health (IH) and the Central Interior Rural Division of Family Practice (CIRDoFP) have partnered to open a new Primary Care Network (PCN) Hub in Williams Lake.  “People in Williams Lake will benefit from the opening of the new primary-care network hub and have increased access to primary care as well as other health-care services,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “With this opening, we are demonstrating our commitment to meeting the health-care needs of people living in Williams Lake and surrounding areas, now and in the future.” “This Williams Lake Primary Care Hub will improve access to primary care for community members of the Cariboo. We have a diverse team of health-care professionals already in place and are working to bring in primary care providers, including physicians and nurse practitioners,” said Karen Cooper, executive director, clinical operations, Cariboo/South Cariboo with Interior Health. “This is an important expansion of services for the region.” In this early phase, the clinic is open with limited capacity and will only accept new patients by referral from a health-care professional or hospital emergency department. This will help connect patients with the greatest needs to appropriate services offered by the team currently in place at the clinic. The clinic will serve as the central facility for existing Central Rural Interior Primary Care Network allied health staff, including a social worker, mental health and substance use clinician, dietitian, and a respiratory therapist, occupational therapist and clinical pharmacist shared between Williams Lake and 100 Mile House. IH is in discussion with an interested physician and is recruiting for nurse practitioners to support primary care services.  Once primary care providers are in place, patients will be matched to the clinic through the Health Connect Registry (details on registering are below). “The Williams Lake Primary Care Clinic provides a centralized hub for allied health to work along-side primary care providers and has been part of our vision for the primary care network from the beginning, four years ago,” said Jill Zirnhelt, executive director of CIRDoFP. “It is a huge win for us, especially now when it is needed more than ever, and is a testament to the hard work and commitment of all our partners involved this work.” Virtual health care at the PCN Hub will be introduced in the weeks ahead and will be one way to improve access to primary care for people who do not have a family physician.  Moving forward, physicians and nurse practitioners stationed out of the new PCN Hub will provide outreach and mobile services to local First Nations communities. “Recruitment of nurse practitioners has been a challenge in our area,” said Connie Jasper, director of health, Tsilhqot’in National Government. “Part of that challenge was not having a broader team of health professionals to work with. This collaborative model addresses that challenge. I think it will help recruitment and support more care for our communities.” People without a family care provider can register with the Health Connect Registry by calling 8-1-1 or by visiting HealthLinkBC.ca. This list is the best way to be matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner as one becomes available. People can also call 8-1-1 to access non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.  About Primary Care Networks (PCN):  Primary Care Networks (PCN) are a collaborative approach to health-care delivery that brings together various health-care professionals including doctors, nurse practitioners and allied health providers like social workers, registered nurses, occupational therapists and more, to provide comprehensive team-based care to patients. PCNs are networks of local primary care providers and community service organizations that collectively meet the primary care needs of a geographic population, aiming to improve access to care, enhance patient outcomes, and address the health-care needs of geographic populations. Sincere thanks to the Ministry of Health, the Central Interior Rural Division of Family Practice, the First Nations Health Authority, Doctors of BC, the Tsilhqot’in National Government, the Williams Lake First Nation, the Ulkatcho First Nation and all of our other partners who have made the Williams Lake PCN possible. Partnership:  The Central Interior Rural Division of Family Practice, Interior Health and First Nations partners from Secwépemc, Tŝilhqot’in and Dãkelh Dené worked collaboratively to establish the Primary Care Network in the Cariboo. Together, we are committed to delivering high-quality health-care services and improving the overall health and well-being of the community through our Primary Care Network.

Williams Lake and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Cariboo Memorial Hospital due to limited nursing availability. Emergency services will be unavailable effective 11:30 p.m. on Monday, May 27, 2024 until 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Patients can access care at 100 Mile District General Hospital in 100 Mile House or GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel 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.

Clearwater and area residents are advised of temporary changes to emergency department hours at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital due to limited nurse availability.  Emergency services will be unavailable from 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21 to 7 a.m. on Wednesday, May 22. Patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops or 100 Mile House District General Hospital in 100 Mile House during this time. All other inpatient services will continue as normal at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital. People in the community who need life-saving 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 Clearwater 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 7 p.m. on Monday, May 20 to 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21. 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.

Oliver and area residents are advised that Interior Health has secured physician coverage tonight for the emergency department at South Okanagan General Hospital in Oliver. The emergency department will be open at 12:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 11. 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. 

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 7 p.m. on Friday, May 10 to 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 11. 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. 

Thanks to the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) Health Foundation and its generous donors, Interior Health will be able to keep more Kootenay Boundary expectant families facing early deliveries closer to home. A new Tier 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at KBRH, made possible by $745,000 in additional Foundation-funded equipment and the addition of specialized NICU healthcare workers by Interior Health, means KBRH has the capacity to support deliveries and care for babies born after 34 weeks, as well urgent acute care for babies born even earlier with moderate risk. “Families who have babies before full term face additional challenges and stress,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO of Interior Health. "In addition to the equipment from the Foundation, our nurses in Trail stepped up to take the specialized training needed to support this increased service, and we added new positions to the department. This commitment helps provide the best possible outcomes to these families without the burden of travel.” A Tier 3 NICU requires significant equipment upgrades to accommodate the needs of the newborns. Three newly funded isolettes (specialized cribs), monitors and stabilization equipment are available with care provided by neonatal healthcare professionals including a NICU educator and nurses, and allied health professionals. “This is wonderful for families in the Kootenay Boundary,” said Lisa Pasin, executive director of the KBRH Health Foundation. “The new neonatal medical equipment will improve accessibility to a higher level of care for families during what can be a challenging time and will also support specialist services and recruitment for our area.” “The only focus for expectant families should be their new baby,” said Katrine Conroy, MLA for Kootenay West. “This new NICU will reduce the need for long-distance travel for early deliveries and is a great example of bringing the health care people need, closer to home.” The new service will benefit expectant families throughout the entire Kootenay Boundary, reducing the burden of travel and keeping them close to local extended family and supports. “We are thrilled to open our Tier 3 NICU and care for mothers and babies close to home,” said Ian Ferguson, obstetrician, gynecologist and department head of Maternity and Pediatrics at KBRH. “We can now keep patients local and repatriate other patients back home sooner when they otherwise would have had to relocate for care. It has made a huge difference for the families of our region, and everyone is very excited.” “Our pediatrics team is very excited to announce the official opening of the NICU at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital,” said Dr. Brenna Eldridge, pediatrician. “This will provide much needed support for babies born prematurely and newborns who may require extra support, and will allow infants to stay in a supported environment as they recover and grow or await transport. We are immensely grateful to all those who supported this project.”  

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