Foundations in the Interior region raise funds that support medical equipment, care needs, and innovative local initiatives in their communities. Each organization includes respected community leaders, volunteers and staff who are passionate about meeting the needs of patients and families in Interior Health. Thanks to the generosity of their supporters, we all have a stronger health system.
Name: Lauren Isber (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Digital Health Support Clerk
Years of Service: 3
Worksite: Kelowna Warehouse
Community: Kelowna
Ancestral Territory: Syilx Nation
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: I try to live in the present, plan for the future but not worry about things that do not exist. Be optimistic!
Cardiac patients at times face life-or-death situations and need timely care. In Salmon Arm, they are receiving that quick care thanks to the work of the cardiology team.
After watching wait times for stress tests and Holter monitoring grow, the team readjusted schedules and reprioritized resources to provide the timely care needed.
Evacuations and repatriations—returning people to their long-term care homes—are complex and multi-faceted processes that take dedication, compassion and the teamwork of many different people and partners to succeed.
In part two of our two-part story on evacuations and repatriations, we highlight some of the stories of those who returned to their long-term care homes, and those who helped get them there safely.
Patients in Kamloops now have improved access to services as upgrades at the Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) are complete, including enhancements to the post-anesthetic recovery (PAR) unit, pediatric unit and ambulance stretcher bays.
Seniors in Kamloops and the surrounding area will have greater access to care closer to home with the opening of a new long-term care home with 100 new publicly funded beds.
“As our seniors age, it is our responsibility to ensure they have access to quality care and comfort,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “These beds are part of the largest one-time increase in long-term care beds in the Interior in more than 16 years and will help seniors create a home away from home while still being close to family and loved ones.”
People in in the Kootenay Boundary will have increased access to a new MRI suite at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) in Trail.
“People living in the Kootenay Boundary will have access to timely scans through this new state-of-the-art MRI suite, providing increased diagnostic testing close to home,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “This new MRI will reduce wait times will and improve imaging accuracy. Our government is committed to ensuring that patients get the diagnosis, treatment planning and followup where and when they need it.”
Please see the attached document to learn more about the look, contamination, and risk associated with the current drug alert.
* Content warning: This story contains themes of suicide. *
For immediate help 24/7, call 9-8-8 or 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433). If you or your friend is in crisis and not sure what to do, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. To reach the Interior Health (IH) Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) centre nearest you, call 310-MHSU (6478).
People living with alcohol or opioid use disorder now have a way to directly and quickly access addiction medicine specialists.
Anyone can now refer themselves to Interior Health’s Virtual Addiction Medicine (VAM) Clinic using a simple web form. The form, available at www.interiorhealth.ca/vam, lets people easily request an appointment to meet with an addiction medicine specialist. Family and friends can also refer someone provided the person being referred is aware and agrees.
