Name: Elizabeth Benade (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Family physician and hospitalist
Years of Service: 6
Worksite: Glenvalley Medical Clinic and Kelowna General Hospital (KGH)
Community: Kelowna
Ancestral Territory: Syilx/Okanagan

Interior Health and Thompson Region Division of Family Practice are pleased to announce that the Thompson Region Family Obstetrics (TRFO) clinic will begin accepting new referrals for expectant parents starting next week.  

“This clinic is a vital resource for new and expecting families in Kamloops and surrounding communities who require access to local maternity care,” said Minister of Health Adrian Dix. “I want to applaud all the efforts that allowed these services to resume.”

Dear Community Leaders,

As we look towards summer 2023 with the potential of extreme heat and wildfires, Interior Health (IH) would like to share information and resources that can help protect residents in our region. We know that extreme heat and wildfire smoke can be serious health hazards. While weather events are outside our control, we can work together to prepare and apply what we have learned in recent years.

Heat and health

Name: Kaity Elliot (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Patient ambassador (Forest View Place - long-term care)
Years of Service:  10
Worksite:  Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital
Community:  Clearwater
Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc / Shuswap - Interior Salish

Unattached pregnant patients in the Kamloops area can now access the Midwifery Antenatal Care Clinic in Royal Inland Hospital to receive ongoing care before birth. 

The clinic receives referrals from family doctors, nurse practitioners, midwives and the Kamloops Urgent Primary Care and Learning Centre (UPCLC). Patients who have had their initial appointments at the Kamloops UPCLC are automatically added to the referral list. 

For as long as she can remember, Kimberly Whidden has been cycling on urban and city roads.

“When my sister and I were growing up in Victoria in the 1970s, our parents would take us from Esquimalt to Beacon Hill Park along some pretty busy routes. I don’t think bike lanes were even a thing then,” recalls the Interior Health communications consultant.

Today, Kimberly lives in Penticton, and uses her bike for getting around town, recreation and fitness.

Carl Meadows is a name synonymous with Pride season at Interior Health (IH), having contributed greatly to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community both at IH and within the wider Okanagan community. As Carl’s retirement draws near, and to mark his last Pride Month with IH, we wanted to send him off in style. Read on for our interview to celebrate his career and efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

When it comes to stroke, minutes can save lives and loved ones.

“Our goal in working together to prevent and treat stroke is really to give people back those essential moments. This is not only walking again, talking again, and eating again, as we used to focus on for a ‘good’ outcome. These moments are dancing, laughing, traveling, holding hands on an evening walk, and all those things that make life a good life,” says Dr. Aleksander Tkach, Interior Health's Stroke Services Medical Director.

Salmon Arm and area residents are advised lab services at the Shuswap Outpatient Collection Lab at #2 - 2770 10 Ave NE, Salmon Arm will be unavailable from June 5-9, 2023 to allow for a safe and smooth transition into a new space.

David Mackie has suffered two major concussions in his football career. He says he’s lucky they haven’t ended his career in the Canadian Football League, but it’s something that weighs heavily on his mind.

“It’s something we’re always cognizant about for player safety and it’s not only going to affect your current career but also your life down the road,” noted the Canadian fullback for the B.C. Lions.