With the holiday season here, many of us will be gathering to celebrate with family and friends. Celebrations often include food and sometimes alcohol. While enjoying wine, beer and spirits can be a pleasurable part of holiday celebrations, drinking too much can have harmful consequences, both short and long-term.

Name: Niomi Wright (she/her/hers)Job Title: Care AideLength of Service: 18 yearsWorksite: Mountain View LodgeCommunity: LillooetAncestral Territory: St’at’imc Niomi Wright is a care aide at Mountain View Lodge located in Lillooet, B.C. on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the St’at’imc Nation where she was born, raised and still lives. After graduating high school, Niomi wasn’t sure what she wanted to do as a career. Initially, she thought she might pursue nursing. She decided to become a care aide first to get a feel for nursing to decide if it was the right long-term career choice. Little did she know that she would ultimately discover that her true calling was to be a care aide in long-term care at Interior Health (IH).

The holidays are a time for celebration, connection and making memories—not collisions. While many of us know the risks of drinking and driving, cannabis can also impair your ability to drive safely. One in four cannabis users admit to driving within four hours of consuming, even though THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, can affect you for six hours or longer.

A new program is helping patients like Tim Goode, who spent eight long months at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) after having a brain tumour removed in February. Following the surgery, Tim made it home for only a day before returning to KGH by ambulance and being diagnosed with meningitis. This resulted in a few mini strokes, which caused weakness in his left side and required extensive rehab. “I was right back in the hospital again for several weeks,” he notes. The tumour at that point had also grown back, requiring yet another surgery. He stayed at KGH until Nov. 15 when he was able to return to his acreage under the new Hospital at Home program. “It’s an awesome program that we didn’t know anything about,” says Tim, who is now stable and on the road to recovery in the comfort of his own home. “I’m doing pretty good. I’m mobile. I’ve got the use of my left hand back. Still a little bit weak on the left side, but good,” he says.

Name: Naomi Jensen (she/her/hers)Job Title: Executive Director, Quality & Patient SafetyLength of Service: 29 yearsWorksite: RegionalCommunity: KamloopsAncestral Territory: SecwépemcFavourite Quote / Advice to Live By: What’s most important to me—in work and in life—is leading with kindness, integrity and purpose. I am always reminded that even small actions can create meaningful impact, and that how we show up for others truly matters. Naomi Jensen, Executive Director, Quality & Patient Safety, lives in Kamloops on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Secwépemc Nation. Born and raised in 100 Mile House, Naomi began her career in health care during high school when she volunteered at the 100 Mile District Hospital. As a volunteer, Naomi was paired with a nurse whose compassion, skill and presence left a lasting impression. “The way she truly connected with her patients—listening deeply, making them laugh and supporting them through some of their most difficult moments—showed me what exceptional care looks like,” shares Naomi. It was in those early experiences that Naomi knew she wanted to be a nurse. For her, nursing has always been an honour and a privilege. She believes that people should be at the centre of their care, and that every interaction is an opportunity to make someone feel seen, respected and supported. Over the years, Naomi’s been inspired not only by the patients and families served, but also by the incredible teams she’s had the privilege to work alongside.

For liver transplant recipient Tony Maidment, going department by department at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) to drop off holiday goodies for the staff who helped him is cathartic. “To be able to see every one of these people in the face, eye to eye, and say ‘thank you’ means a whole world of difference,” says Tony, who volunteers to hand out treats every year. “Psychologically, I’m still dealing with the remorse and the guilt of receiving somebody else’s organ. Seeing the staff every single year helps a lot.” The delivery of holiday goodies by transplant recipients to Interior Health (IH) staff is what Operation Popcorn is all about.  It happens every December and is a way for transplant recipients to give back to the health-care staff that is often involved in the tragic side of organ donation. With Operation Popcorn, the staff can meet people who were given new life. Operating room staff await their Operation Popcorn treats.“It’s neat to see the recipients come and interact with the staff. Just the look on their faces when they can see that all the work they do means something,” says organ donation specialist Leah Chesney with BC Transplant. “The staff mostly work with organ donors, so to have that other perspective is amazing.” Tony and Abby Farnsworth, who received a heart transplant at four years old, delivered boxes of popcorn and chocolate treats to the emergency room, operation room, renal unit and Intensive Care Unit (ICU). “It’s very interesting to see the impact that we have, even working in the ICU,” says Royal Inland Hospital ICU manager Jared Macgowan. “We work with some of the most critically ill patients in the region. That can have an emotional and mental toll on a lot of our staff. “Working with BC Transplant, we see the very challenging, tragic outcomes, so it’s nice to see that there’s a silver lining and that there are lives saved that come from organ donation.” Staff in the emergency room at RIH were happy to receive treatments from Operation Popcorn.Abby is always happy to meet the staff, even if she doesn’t remember much from her heart transplant journey. “It’s always a happy time because everyone is so excited for the treats,” she notes. “But it’s more about giving back to the doctors and nurses and hospital staff and giving thanks and showing our appreciation for all their hard work.” Now 24, Abby is coming up on the twentieth anniversary of her transplant, while Tony is eight years past his. Tony says he feels physically good and uses Operation Popcorn to continue to heal mentally. “My [psychological] healing process is ongoing. I received my transplant and now I’m a healthy person. Physically I’m perfect, everything’s good. My blood levels, doctors are very happy with. Mentally, I do things like this to help with healing.” Tony and Abby encourage people to sign up as organ donors. The Organ Donor Registry is through BC Transplant.

One of the most vulnerable times in someone’s substance use journey can be when they leave a hospital. After an overdose or medical crisis, it can be easy for them to fall through the cracks without help and supports. Substance Use Connections, launched at Interior Health (IH) in 2019 in response to the toxic drug crisis, is a vital bridge between hospitals and community health services and supports. “The evidence is really clear: when you make a good connection with a person who has been in a hospital, their chances of success are much higher,” shares Deb Salverda, team lead for Substance Use Connections.

When Interior Health (IH) recruiter Elizabeth Leston walks into a WorkBC job fair in Kamloops, she’s greeted by familiar faces. For the past two and a half years, Elizabeth has been working closely with the WorkBC Centre – Kamloops Thompson team, a partnership focused on helping local job seekers find meaningful, lasting careers in health care. “It’s such a great relationship,” says Elizabeth. “We all want the same thing: to help people find jobs they’ll love, and to make it easier for them to take that first step.”

To commemorate National Addictions Awareness Week, members of Yaqan Nuʔkiy (Lower Kootenay Band), Interior Health staff, and Creston community members came together on Friday, Nov. 21 for the fifth annual Canoe Walk, showing solidarity and support for those impacted by the toxic drug crisis, which disproportionately affects Indigenous Peoples and communities across Canada. Pictured from left to right: Jared Basil, Ktunaxa Cultural Framework Ambassador, Yaqan Nuʔkiy Nasukin Jason Louie, Rhonda Basil, Director of Health for Yaqan Nukiy, and Walter Felitsyn, Director, Clinical Operations – IH East Kootenay Long-Term Care, standing alongside the display case for the sturgeon-nosed canoe.The annual six-kilometre Canoe Walk from Creston Valley Hospital to the Lower Kootenay Band site, was established in recognition of the sturgeon-nosed canoe gifted from Yaqan Nuʔkiy to the Creston Valley Hospital in 2012. This canoe was originally carried by Yaqan Nuʔkiy members from the Lower Kootenay Band site to Creston Valley Hospital. A sturgeon-nosed canoe is “representative of life and is unique to Yaqan Nuʔkiy.” Nasukin Jason Louie greeting participants of the Canoe Walk at the Lower Kootenay Band site.Through the collaboration of Yaqan Nuʔkiy and IH, a second canoe walk was organized on November 23, 2022 and has been held annually since. Related Stories@IH: Providing health care and building relationships in Creston About National Addictions Awareness Week Held annually in Canada Nov. 17–21, 2025, National Addiction Awareness Week is organized by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. It promotes open dialogue on substance use, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. The theme for National Addiction Awareness Week 2025, “Anchoring Hope,” focuses on reducing stigma and providing essential support for those affected by addiction.