Local residents in the Clearwater area who are enrolled in MyHealthPortal will now be able to book outpatient X-ray appointments online. Interior Health launched MyHealthPortal in June 2016, which provides convenient and secure access to users’ personal health information including lab results, medical imaging reports, patient visit history, and more. MyHealthPortal is expanding to allow patients to self-schedule X-ray appointments at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater. Appointments will be scheduled for Oct. 17 and onwards. Patients, caregivers and families must be enrolled users of MyHealthPortal to book an X-ray appointment. Visit www.interiorhealth.ca/myhealthportal to learn how to enrol. Patients, caregivers and families who have not registered for MyHealthPortal may still access a limited number of first come-first served walk-in appointments Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Patients, caregivers and families must have a copy of their X-ray requisition to book online or attend a walk-in appointment. Appointments will not be booked by phone after Nov. 1, 2022 so it is advised to sign up for a MyHealthPortal account if walk-in appointments are not convenient. All Holter and ECG exams will continue to be booked with patients by phone. For assistance with scheduling an appointment or enrolling with MyHealthPortal, residents may call the Digital Health Support Desk at 1-844-870-4756.

People in Cranbrook and surrounding areas will have access to new treatment and recovery options, as well as expanded mental health and substance use services, as the Province continues to build a comprehensive system of care throughout British Columbia. Through Interior Health, the Province is adding 10 beds at the Recovery Ranch by Edgewood Health Network in the Cranbrook area, including five young adult substance-use treatment beds and five adult withdrawal management beds. First Nations, Métis and Inuit people within the Interior Health region will be given priority for these beds. “When people in the Cranbrook region make the courageous decision to reach out for help, we want services close to home,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “These 10 treatment beds, plus expanded mental health services, will help people get on their pathway to recovery. In addition to the hundreds of treatment beds we’ve already opened, they’re a vital part of the system of care we’re working urgently to build.” In addition, the Province is expanding existing mental health and substance-use supports for youth and adults in the region. This includes adding health-care workers to the intensive case management team, which provides support to people experiencing severe mental-health and/or substance-use concerns, and the integrated treatment team, which provides flexible substance-use treatment. New early psychosis intervention services are also being added to support people in the early years of living with psychosis. In total, 12 additional staff positions will support these expanded services, which are now offered out of the new office location at 2 - 926 Baker St. “The care provided at the Recovery Ranch will help people be successful in the early days of their recovery by providing well-supported withdrawal management,” said Diane Shendruk, vice-president, clinical operations (North), Interior Health. “In addition, the facility will strive to offer culturally safe care in a stable setting for young adults to focus on their longer-term wellness goals.” Enhancing supports for people living with mental-health and substance-use needs, as well as treatment and recovery options, is an integral part of A Pathway to Hope, B.C.’s roadmap for building the comprehensive system of mental-health and addictions care for British Columbians. Quotes: Carlee Campbell, director of operations, Western Canada, Edgewood Health Network – “We are excited about the opportunity to dive into this work, in collaboration with partners in the community and Interior Health, and continue developing the landscape for a recovery-oriented system of care in the Interior. We hope to provide excellent, short- and long-term, person-centered and self-directed services, that are evidence-based, and will strengthen all patient's recovery capital and will honour both the individual needs of patients, while also relying on the strength of best practice.” Christina Basedow, vice-president Western Canada, Edgewood Health Network – “Edgewood Health Network (EHN Canada) is honoured to have this opportunity for collaboration and connection with Interior Health, and the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions in British Columbia. Our purpose is to provide all Canadians with accessible, affordable and excellent care for the treatment of substance-use disorder and concurrent mental health. This collaboration will allow many residents of Interior Health to access life-saving and life-changing treatment, and we are truly grateful to be a part of this partnership.” Russell Purdy, executive director, Recovery Ranch – “As a person in long-term recovery and now fortunate to work in the field, it brings me hope for people struggling with the disease of addiction to have the opportunity to access detox and treatment in a time that it is desperately needed. The partnership between Interior Health and Edgewood Health Network is a great step in bridging the gap for those who want to get help.” Anonymous client – “It means a lot to me. I can access detox, while being close to family. I really did not want to leave home to get help and now I don’t have to.” Anonymous client – “Being able to come here could change my life. I don’t know what treatment will be like for me but having the option to go is something really special because I couldn’t afford it.” Learn More: Learn about A Pathway to Hope, our government’s vision for mental health and addictions care in B.C.: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021MMHA0049-001787 Read original release from BC Gov News

People who rely on Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) in Trail are advised that the main entrance will be closed from 6 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 to 7 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4 for minor remediation work to the concrete at this location. To allow for the construction, patients and visitors will temporarily be directed to the ambulance bay entrance at KBRH. Signage will be in place to direct people to this temporary alternate entrance. The emergency department entrance is not impacted by this work. Patients requiring care in the emergency department will continue to use the normal emergency department entrance. Interior Health thanks patients and visitor for their patience as ongoing improvements to the regional hospital continue.

More people living in Ashcroft and surrounding communities have increased access to team-based health care with a new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) opening Sept. 27, 2022. The UPCC is at the same location as the old Ashcroft Hospital & Community Health Care Centre at 700 Ash-Cache Creek Highway. “A new UPCC in Ashcroft will offer people increased access to the health care they need, when they need it,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “With the support of local health-care teams and through community collaboration, we’re strengthening primary care services throughout the province. In Ashcroft, this means that more people can access same-day, everyday health care.”   The Ashcroft UPCC is gradually opening. It will first provide urgent primary care services, including connecting patients without a primary care provider to a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Starting Sept. 27, the Ashcroft UPCC is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., with nursing and allied health teams providing team-based primary care services. Urgent care services are available for people with non-life-threatening conditions who need to see a health-care provider within 12 to 24 hours but do not require an emergency department, such as sprains, cuts, high fevers and minor infections. The primary care services available at the UPCC include diagnosis and treatment for minor illnesses, as well as provision of harm-reduction supplies and education, reproductive care, vaccinations and injections, early detection, guideline-based chronic disease management, and co-ordination of services, referrals to community services, pre- and post-surgical care, and ongoing monitoring, including of medication. “Opening this UPCC in Ashcroft is the first of its kind in Interior Health to stabilize rural health care in a model that provides urgent primary care 12 hours per day close to home, while ensuring the network connection to Royal Inland Hospital when a higher level of care is required,” said Susan Brown, president and CEO, Interior Health. “I am also impressed with the recruitment of staff to support rural care; it indicates to me the passion health-care staff have for team-based rural medicine.” The Ashcroft UPCC is the 29th UPCC announced under government's primary care strategy. It is the result of close collaboration between the Ministry of Health, Interior Health, the Interior Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice, and local First Nations partners. It is a part of the Interior Rural Primary Care Network, and will be owned and operated by Interior Health. Quotes: Dr. John Soles, physician lead, Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice –  “The Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice recognizes the need for medical care in rural and Indigenous communities to be comprehensive, accessible and equitable. In the current rural primary care environment, community-centred, team-based care models are most likely to achieve this. We wish the Ashcroft UPCC success in bringing health care closer to this goal.” Michael Sandler, CEO, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC – “Nurses and nurse practitioners of B.C. are pleased to see that the knowledge, skills and expertise of the entire health-care team will be utilized to improve access to health care for all British Columbians through urgent and primary care clinics. We believe that this approach will be pivotal in ensuring B.C. families can access health-care services, and we are excited to see the opening of another urgent and primary care clinic in B.C.” 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 about the Province's strategy to increase the number of nurse practitioners, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018HLTH0034-000995 To learn more about the Province's strategy to recruit and retain more family medicine graduates, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018HLTH0052-001043 Read original release from BC Gov News

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

Keremeos and area residents are advised of a temporary change to outpatient laboratory hours at the South Similkameen Health Centre beginning Monday, Sept. 26, 2022 due to limited staffing availability. The South Similkameen Health Centre will be offering blood collection services on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., closed from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. Limited walk-in service is available. People can book an appointment online at www.labonlinebooking.ca or by calling the Digital Health Support Desk at 1‑844-870-4756. The call centre is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 pm. on weekends and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on statutory holidays.

New Denver and area residents are advised the emergency department at the Slocan Community Health Centre will not be open from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Sept. 17, 2022. The emergency department will resume regular hours on Sept. 18. Patients can access care at the Arrow Lakes Hospital at 97 1st Ave. NE Nakusp. 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 (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 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.

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