Interior Health (IH) president and CEO Susan Brown has issued the following statement on commitment to Kelowna General Hospital (KGH):
“As CEO of Interior Health, I have the privilege of working with thousands of remarkable professionals across a vast and complex system and I am deeply proud of the incredible work our teams do every day to serve our communities.
“In any organization of this size, there will be different views – including on the approach leadership takes - and I have always been open to feedback and suggestions. I have been encouraged by the many messages of support I've personally received from members of the public, patients and their families, staff and medical staff supporting my leadership and our work at IH.
“And late last week, I was pleased to have the full support of my Chair, Dr. Robert Halpenny, the Interior Health Board, and the Honourable Josie Osborne, the Minister of Health.
“I acknowledge that IH is facing significant pressures. There is a growing demand for health-care services, here at IH and across the province. We continue to experience a competitive global market for a limited number of available health-care professionals – including physicians, nurses and allied health professionals. This has contributed to challenges, including temporary service interruptions in emergency departments and specialized services such as pediatrics and obstetrics.
“Regardless, we are focussed on reopening the inpatient pediatric unit at Kelowna General Hospital at the end of the six weeks. IH appreciates the support of the Ministry of Health in the many collaborative projects to put solutions in place for KGH.
“My team and I have participated in dozens of meetings to listen to leaders and physicians at KGH to better understand the issues that resulted in the difficult decision to temporarily change pediatric services.
“I have heard some concerns about culture in the Emergency and Pediatrics Departments and I share those concerns. I’ve also seen behaviour that is unproductive and not in alignment with the values of IH – quality, integrity, compassion and safety.
“Let me be clear: I remain committed to listening to frontline staff and leaders and understanding how our leadership team can better support them in delivering high-quality, team-based care. The service demands on our facilities across IH, in Kelowna, and beyond are high, but everyone is working hard to meet the needs of families and patients across our communities. A common priority for everyone is the retention of health-care workers.
“Across IH, our health-care teams are working under enormous pressure. I want to acknowledge and thank everyone who continues to show up for patients and families—especially during times of uncertainty. We are committed to working in close partnership with staff, medical staff, and community leaders to address current challenges and develop sustainable, local solutions. A shared priority among all of us is retaining and supporting our health-care workforce.
“I continue to hear sensationalized misinformation in the media and beyond, but I want our community to know that KGH is, and continues to be, a priority for me and IH.
“Some of the issues raised recently are related to physician compensation models and service deliverables. These are matters negotiated between the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC, and they are not within the operational responsibilities of health authorities like IH. These discussions rightly belong at the bargaining table, not in public forums or media.
“IH remains focused on what matters most: providing safe, high-quality care to the people who rely on us. As both CEO and a member of our community, I remain committed to that mission, and to leading IH with integrity, transparency, and a deep respect for the communities we serve.”
Quick Facts:
Over the last five years IH has made significant investments into KGH, including:
- A total 2025 operating budget of $558 million per year
- This is a $250 million increase over the last 5 years
- This represents an 81 per cent increase over 2020
- We have funded 600 new additional full-time equivalent staff
- This is a 30 per cent increase since 2020
- We have provided an additional $278 million in capital investment (2015-2025)
- This includes $15.2 million dedicated to services upgrades at KGH for pregnant individuals and infants
- A high-level summary of service expansion investments includes:
- Inpatient bed expansion which added 51 new patient beds
- Hospital at Home – 9 “beds”
- Two new operating rooms
- Gynecological Oncology and Colposcopy surgical expansion
- Expanded to a Tier 4 Neonatal service
- Expanded Trauma Program
- Expanded Surgical Eye Care
- Expanded Brain Health and Endovascular Thrombectomy (EVT) Neurointerventional Services (Stroke Care)
Since the closure of the pediatric inpatient unit in May, IH has put a number of solutions in place:
- Received Ministry of Health approval for an additional physician to work in the Emergency Department 24/7
- Provided a schedule of community and hospital-based pediatricians who support critical cases in the emergency department prior to transfer
- Redeployed pediatric nurses to work in the Emergency Department
- Ministry of Health supported a new temporary compensation model for pediatricians supporting the NICU to support stabilization during this period of service interruption
- Ongoing support for the recruitment of pediatricians with an aggressive recruitment campaign, locally, nationally and internationally which is working
- One new pediatrician is starting this summer and two more have accepted offers starting in September. At least one additional pediatrician has expressed interest in coming to Kelowna
- Three Associate Physicians starting in over the summer which will support workload
- Continued to maintain neonatal intensive care services at KGH
- A new schedule of community and hospital-based pediatricians who are able to support critical cases in the Emergency Department, prior to transfer
- We have also confirmed a new protocol to ensure that in addition to the meetings and verbal updates we have been providing staff and clinicians, including to the emergency and pediatrics departments, we’ll also share written updates to our teams as quick as possible and more frequently.
