Construction underway on new long-term care facility in Penticton

Summary:

• Construction has begun on a new long-term care home in Penticton
• The new home will provide 200 long-term care beds for south Okanagan seniors
• It is set to open for seniors in 2028

Seniors in the south Okanagan will soon have access to more long-term care as Kaigo Senior Living, in partnership with the Province, breaks ground on a new long-term care home in Penticton.

Everyone experiences changes as they get older that can increase the risk of falls and fall-related injuries. Even when a fall doesn’t lead to injury or hospitalization, it can impact a person’s confidence and discourage them from doing the very things that can prevent falls.

The good news is there are small changes you can make to prevent falls that will help you remain active and independent as you age.

Jenna Young, improvement consultant for Falls and Injury Prevention at Interior Health (IH), reminds us that preventing falls takes teamwork.

Name: Dr. Roseann Larstone (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Corporate Director, Indigenous Cultural Safety and Anti-Racism Education
Length of Service: Five months
Worksite:  Kelowna Community Health and Service Centre
Community: Vernon
Ancestral Territory: syilx

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

The fourth annual Interior Region Indigenous Food Forum (IRIFF) took place Oct. 22–23, 2025 in the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Ktunaxa Nation in the community of ʔaq̓am. More than 80 participants came to the event, and together, enjoyed two days of storytelling, networking, learning and connecting.

Interior Health is making temporary changes to the South Similkameen Health Centre hours.

Starting Nov. 17, the Similkameen Health Centre will be open for emergency services on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, between 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. instead of its regular Monday to Saturday schedule.

This change follows discussions with current physicians to provide predictable health services to the public on set days and support physicians in providing primary care to their patients during periods when they are not providing emergency services at the centre.

With the cooler months here, many of us are spending more time indoors. We keep doors and windows shut tight to keep the cold out and turn the heat on.

We may be warm and cozy, but the combination of closed doors and windows, and higher indoor heat, may be drawing in more of a harmful gas: radon.

We have launched a new event calendar on our website at https://www.interiorhealth.ca/event-calendar. Check out the calendar to view health-related events happening throughout the Interior region, from the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap to the East Kootenay, and everywhere in between.  

Here are five reasons you'll want to bookmark IH's new event calendar.

Name: Ilka Stoyanova Chobanova (she/her/hers) 
Job Title: Registered Nurse, Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC)
Length of Service: 18 years 

Grade 9 students from across the Southern Interior region joined Interior Health (IH) on Nov. 5 for Take Our Kids to Work Day 2025—and what a turnout it was!

This year saw record participation with students exploring more than 30 departments in over 10 communities.

From patient care to administration and everything in between, IH teams opened their doors to give students a hands-on look at the many exciting and meaningful careers in health care.