As we close out National Immunization Awareness Week (April 23 – 30), Interior Health encourages families to stay on track with their immunizations.

“Vaccines have saved more lives in Canada than any other medical intervention in the past 60 to 70 years,” said Dr. Carol Fenton, Interior Health Medical Health Officer. As one example, as late as the 1950s, the polio virus caused paralysis or death in thousands of people, most of them children. Thanks to the polio vaccines, Canada virtually eliminated polio by 1964 with the last case acquired in Canada in 1988.”

Clearwater and area residents are advised of a temporary change to the emergency department hours at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital tonight due to unforeseen limited staffing availability.

The emergency department will be closed:

• 4 p.m. Thursday, April 28 to 7 a.m. Friday, April 29

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:

Interior Health launched a pilot project at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) to improve patient safety by preventing falls and injuries through the use of a remote patient video monitoring system called the AvaSure TeleSitter.

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