When health-care teams involve people in conversations about their care, patients become partners in care, and care experiences improve. Patient partners are volunteers who support people and their families to access and navigate the health-care system.

At Interior Health, patient partners are valued. Many of our patient partners are also volunteers in our hospitals and health-care centres, and when we lose them, the loss is keenly felt by all.

Interior Health is making it easier for people living in North Okanagan communities to access home and community care and chronic disease management services.

Seniors and others can now easily connect to health-care services in their community seven days per week, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. by calling 1-800-707-8550.

Communities in the North Okanagan region are the latest to see the new 1-800 number implemented. The central number has been expanding in phases and with this activation, seniors across the entire Interior Health region can now access this number.

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.

During National Volunteer Week (April 24-30, 2022), Interior Health (IH) extends its gratitude to more than 4,800+ IH volunteers across the region.

“Thank you to everyone volunteering with Interior Health across the region,” said Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown. “Your warmth, kindness, and compassion provides comfort to people in our care, and it makes a tremendous difference across IH.”

Kimmi and Harjit are medical office assistants at Cedar Sage Health & Wellness Centre 

Health care is teams, within teams, all working together towards supporting the patient experience. 

Our administrative services staff are integral members of clinical service delivery in primary care, home health, public health, and mental health and substance use.

Merritt and area residents are advised that the emergency department at Nicola Valley Hospital will be closed today from 6:30 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, April 24, due to unforeseen limited staffing availability.

Interior Health regrets this temporary change to normal operations and reminds residents to take note of the following if they require care while the emergency department is closed:

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

View more toxic drug and environmental and COVID-19 alerts

Did you know that about 60 per cent of food produced in Canada is lost or wasted? Health Canada suggests reducing, recovering and recycling as ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the sustainability of our food system. 

Food gets wasted at every step of the food system - during production, packaging, processing, wholesale and distribution, in the store, and at home. That’s why local food systems, with fewer steps between producer and consumer, can be part of the solution to reducing food waste.  

People in Vernon will soon have greater access to care closer to home with construction underway on 90 new publicly funded long-term care beds in the community, as part of the largest one-time increase in long-term care beds in the Interior in more than 16 years.

View the full release

This year’s Earth Day theme – invest in our planet – fits perfectly with Interior Health’s commitment to protect the planet and reduce our environmental footprint. 

“At Interior Health, we are focused on providing a greener health-care environment across the region,” said Interior Health president and CEO, Susan Brown. “With innovative solutions, collaboration, and new investments, we are lowering our carbon footprint and doing our part to prevent the effects of climate change.”

Committed to Meeting Reduction Targets