Name: Tanya Chmilar (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Registered Nurse/Registered Psychiatric Nurse
Years of Service: 25
Worksite: Community Health Services Centre
Community: Kelowna
Ancestral Territory: Syilx Okanagan
Advice to live by: Have fun and do your best. Maintain a work-life balance.

Interior Health and the City of Kelowna, along with the provincial Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, are pleased to confirm the approval for the delivery of housing and supports for people with complex care needs living in the Central Okanagan.

Our social media platforms are a great way to engage with our Interior Health community and share information. Check out these recent posts, and consider sharing them with your friends and family on your own social channels. 

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Keremeos and area residents are advised of a temporary change to emergency department hours at the South Similkameen Health Centre, due to limited nursing staff availability.

Emergency services will be unavailable starting at 3:30 p.m. today, Sept. 6. The emergency department will resume regular hours at 8 a.m. tomorrow, Sept. 7. Patients can access care at Penticton Regional Hospital at 550 Carmi Ave. in Penticton.

CLEARWATER - Clearwater and area residents are advised of ongoing temporary changes to overnight emergency department (ED) hours at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital due to limited nursing availability.

Emergency services will not be available from 6 p.m. on Sept. 3, until 7 a.m. the following morning. Twenty-four-hour ED service will resume on Sept. 4.

When service is not available, patients can access care at:

ASHCROFT – Ashcroft and area residents are advised of a temporary change to the Ashcroft emergency department hours this weekend due to limited nursing staff availability.

Emergency services will not be available this weekend. Patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital at 311 Columbia Street in Kamloops.

There is no emergency department service during the week or overnight on weekends in Ashcroft. Regular emergency department hours are Friday, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. and Saturday/Sunday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Name: Jana Schulz (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Regional Dementia Education Coordinator, East Kootenay
Years of Service: 7 months
Worksite: Rocky Mountain Lodge
Community: Cranbrook
Ancestral Territory: Ktunaxa Nation

Our social media platforms are a great way to engage with our Interior Health community and share information. Check out these recent posts, and consider sharing them with your friends and family on your own social channels. 

If the link to the social channel does not open, please try another browser. You may be able to find these posts on other social channels.

Submitted by Susan Brown, President & CEO, Interior Health

I was recently looking at the website of Moms Stop the Harm, a local advocacy group that is heavily involved in organizing Overdose Awareness Day events. I was reflecting on the last few years; the increasing drug toxicity deaths we’re seeing, the tremendous challenges first responders and care providers face, and the loss communities continue to experience.

Navigating a conversation about an individual’s serious illness can be a difficult and uncomfortable part of the job for many health-care providers. Some may be unsure about what to ask, or how much detail to share with someone about their condition and prognosis.

Yet, having open, honest and compassionate conversations with people during their illness is essential to help individuals and families make care decisions that align with their personal goals, hopes and wishes.