We Are IH is a new recognition campaign to spotlight our people in a real way – through pictures and stories that allow their authenticity to shine through! Each month, four Interior Health employees or medical staff will be featured through our News@IH website and our weekly In the Loop Roundup email newsletter.  RN Shelley Ockenden is an Occupation Nursing Support Services Coordinator and recent long-term service award recipient after working at the Kamloops health unit for 33 years. A country girl at heart, Shelley was born and raised on a cattle ranch in Ashcroft, B.C. before spreading her wings and settling in Kamloops where she has lived for the past 32 years. Shelley followed her passion and love of working with children and their families as she developed her career, supporting children with special health needs and children in palliative care. Although Shelley would fix something for someone if she could, she learned that the best way to "fix" things for people is to imprint a memory of caring, alongside their hurt and their grief.  Shelley created positive change in the lives of the people she surrounded herself with including those within Interior Health. The initiatives she led including the resources she created, Supporting Families through Perinatal Loss Quick Guide and Leaning into Your Discomfort - How to Support Someone Who is Grieving, are a legacy that will continue to help people beyond her time at Interior Health. (Note: links accessible only within IH network.) Fun is one of the many positive words people use to describe Shelley and we know that with her attitude, each and every day of her retirement will be full of fun! Shelley wants to thank Interior Health and everyone who has worked alongside her as it's been a very memorable journey. We will sincerely miss you, Shelley! Thank you for all that you've done! Cheers to an amazing 33 years together, you've touched the lives of so many people and we are so grateful for your service. Check back each Friday for the next We Are IH feature. For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. Shelley's nomination of Cathryn Goodman keeps the We Are IH loop going: "Because although she is newer into her role as manager Cathryn has made it a priority (in the time of COVID-19) to really try to get to know and support her team members."

We Are IH is a new recognition campaign to spotlight our people in a real way – through pictures and stories that allow their authenticity to shine through! Each month, four Interior Health employees or medical staff will be featured through our News@IH website and our weekly In the Loop Roundup email newsletter.  Allen has worked as a Medical Laboratory Technologist at the KGH laboratory for eight years. You may spot Allen's warm smile and his health-care hero heart pin while he is working hard with his team at Kelowna General Hospital. He genuinely loves the team members he works with and knows that they will support each other, no matter what. Born in the Philippines islands, Allen moved to Toronto in 1999 with his family and 'bestest' friend, his twin sister. With the goal of moving to the beautiful Okanagan Valley on his horizon after graduation, he moved cross-country in 2012 to his now home-sweet-home - luckily for us at Interior Health. A true optimist, Allen sees the glass half full and not half empty. Point in case: When catching up with colleagues after they have traveled abroad, he seeks some of their international cash to keep in his wallet as a reminder to travel to that destination. Maybe if they're lucky he will bring them back a little token of his appreciation! "Be kind, calm and safe."  - Dr. Bonnie Henry Allen's favourite inspirational quote Truly inspired by the power of the microscope enabling him to see what he couldn't with his bare eyes, at work he glimpses another world of red and white blood cells, tissue cells, bacteria, viruses and much more. Young Allen was fascinated by seeing these tiny little things interact and communicate. From his first look at an amoeba under the microscope, he was mesmerized and thrilled seeing it swimming in the water. From the entire team at Interior Health, we thank you for all that you do, Allen, and we are so thankful that you chose Kelowna and Interior Health to make your home-sweet-home. Check back each Friday for the next We Are IH feature. For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. Allen's nomination of John Bors keeps the We are IH loop going": "John is a joy to work with and creates a positive work environment. He’s a kind, dedicated hard worker who remains calm under pressure and is very knowledgeable. We are incredibly grateful to have someone like him working in the laboratory. He’s very good at trouble shooting the instruments and liaising between the lab and our vendors. He’s very patient and gets the job done."