When Williams Lake physician Dr. Ivan Scrooby and infection prevention lead Kelly Dillon were walking through a partially-remediated area of Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) in Williams Lake earlier this year, inspiration struck.

Medical students based at the UBC Okanagan campus in Kelowna are helping front-line physicians in the battle against COVID-19 in the B.C. Interior.

With the temporary suspension of clinical training in hospitals and clinics across the province, many medical students began looking for other ways to support physicians and patients during the pandemic.

One year ago on April 29, Maureen Thomson was sitting at a desk inside the new David E. Kampe Tower at Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH), looking over a set of computer screens, each one flashing patient names and locations.

Dealing with a severe speech disorder and transitioning from hospital to home was more than enough for the Freeborn family to cope with. Adding COVID-19 to the mix and hospital visitor restrictions, and problems could have easily gone from bad to worse.

Despite those challenges, this family was able to find a way around those obstacles, with the help of Kelly Talbott, a speech language pathologist at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH).

Is there an older adult in your life? Staying connected despite social distancing can be a real challenge.