None of us knows what the future holds. But we can plan for it. Advance care planning is for everyone! It’s about thinking ahead, talking with those closest to you, and sharing what matters most—before a health crisis happens. Interior Health’s Advance Care Planning: Your Voice, Your Choice video series teaches about the purpose and importance of advance care planning (ACP) and why it gives peace of mind to you and your loved ones. The series presents different stories and experiences from individuals, family members and health-care providers and offers concrete ideas for you to create your own advance care plan. 

Access to healthy, affordable food is on many people’s minds as costs continue to rise. For communities across the Interior Health (IH) region—especially rural, remote and Indigenous communities—these challenges can be even greater. Yet these same communities continue to show strength, innovation and deep care for one another. Community Action Food Initiative (CAFI) is a program to promote, innovate and support positive change throughout our local food system. CAFI works to address and challenge the systemic inequities that exist in the food system, and offers a flexible funding initiative to support rural, remote and Indigenous partners’ food security priorities.

Name: Meghan Johnston (she/her/hers) Job Title: Integrated Crisis Response Team Length of Service: 15 years Worksite: Mental Health and Substance Use Access Community: Vernon Ancestral Territory: syilx Favourite Quote / Advice to Live By: “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” Meghan Johnston is a proud member of the Okanagan Indian Band and has lived on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the syilx Nation since 2002. “This land is not only where I live and work,” says Meghan. “It is home in every sense of the word.” To Meghan, reconciliation means Canadians being willing to learn—with an open heart and an open mind—about the truth of what happened to Indigenous people, and understanding the impacts that are still felt today. “This is very personal for me,” Meghan shares. “My family and my own life have been affected by intergenerational trauma and cultural genocide. Reconciliation isn’t just a word: it’s about education, compassion and accountability. It’s about learning to walk in each other’s shoes and building a future based on respect and understanding. I truly believe that through honest conversations and teaching, we can move forward in a better way.”

Jasmine Mingaud remembers the day she first started experiencing severe sciatic pain. She felt the sharp pain the minute she woke up that morning. Multiple scans and MRIs revealed she had a compressed disc that was most likely pinching her sciatic nerve. Jasmine was in and out of hospital—five times in one month—when the pain first cropped up. She says health-care professionals could not find the right combination of medication to ease her sciatic pain. At times she couldn’t get out of bed or get in and out of the shower. She also could no longer work at her job stocking shelves at a local store. “Nothing I tried helped,” says Jasmine. “They wanted me to go to physio. But because I couldn’t work, I had no income.” Her doctor then told her about the Central Okanagan Primary Care Network (PCN).

Behind every patient appointment, lab test and medical imaging test at Interior Health (IH) is a complex set of processes that must run smoothly to keep care moving. While much of this work happens out of sight, a small but mighty team is quietly transforming how that work gets done at IH.

Each Mar. 31 marks National Indigenous Languages Day, a day to celebrate Indigenous languages in Canada. Interior Health (IH) acknowledges National Indigenous Languages Day and honours the voices of the land.

Name: Sully Job Title: Therapy Dog Length of Service: 4 Months Worksite: Royal Inland Hospital Community: Kamloops Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc Sully is like any other big dog. The fluffy Goldendoodle loves to play outside, of course, but more than anything he loves to be around people. For that reason, his handler “Dad” Mike encouraged him to try his paw at being a therapy dog and Sully is excelling. “At first Dad kind of pushed me into being a therapy dog but now I’ve got my [St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog] scarf and I’m so excited about it. I think it’s great. I love it!” notes Sully.

Name: Kaitlyn Poggemoeller (she/her/hers) Job Title: Pharmacy Professional Practice Leader Length of Service: 7.5 years Worksite: Royal Inland Hospital Community: Kamloops Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc Kaitlyn Poggemoeller’s love for people and a desire to make a meaningful difference in their lives inspired her to pursue a career in health care. She joined Interior Health (IH) more than seven years ago, completing the Pharmacy Residency Program in her first year—an experience she continues to draw upon as her career evolves and expands. Today, as a pharmacy professional practice leader, she continues to find meaning and motivation in her work knowing that the decisions she makes directly affect people’s health and well-being.

Spring is here and warmer weather means more people will be spending time outdoors in tall grasses or wooded areas. This can also mean an increased chance of getting tick bites.