For Helen Henderson, life is all about connections.

As kukpi7 (chief) of the Canim Lake Band near 100 Mile House, she searches out connection to the land, to her band members and to her past.

Earlier this year at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) in Kamloops, several connections came together in one emotional ceremony for Helen, one of five Secwepemc kukpi7s who attended a sacred smudging ceremony at the construction site for the RIH Patient Care Tower.

Does your teen vape? A recent Health Canada survey showed that 23 per cent of students in grades 7-12 have tried an electronic cigarette.

Health Canada has warned that vaping or using electronic cigarettes may cause health risks. Those health risks can be experienced by the person vaping, or by inhaling the vapours of others.

Gina* is a tall, pretty young woman. Her hands, like much of her arms, are covered in ink. Her long hair is a shock of dreadlocks and her voice is not much louder than a whisper. But she is articulate and self-possessed and when she speaks, you lean in and listen. Today she is speaking about her health troubles, her drug addiction, and how the injectable opioid agonist treatment clinic, or iOAT, has helped. “The first month was really tough,” she says. There is a hint of pride in her voice.

It's being called ground-breaking work.

A small and mighty team of Interior Health physicians and nurse practitioners are going above and beyond in supporting some of the region’s most vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The devoted group are supporting people who are impacted by the poisoned drug supply crisis and have to isolate due to a positive COVID-19 test, by meeting them where they are.