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.  Sean Adams thrives in challenging and high-pressure situations, so naturally, being the Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) at the High Acuity Response Team (HART) is a position that he excels in. He started his career in Ontario in 2002 in intensive care units (ICU) and made the move to Kamloops to work in ICU at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) in 2012. From there, he transitioned into HART in 2014, and most recently he started as the HART PCC this year. Sean has positively impacted the lives of many. His commitment and hard work were acknowledged by his peers with his nomination for the 2019 Steve Rogers Award. Congrats, Sean! Born and raised in Southern Ontario, Sean was inspired at an early age to choose a career where he creates change and makes a difference in the lives of others. He loves helping people with his expertise and has provided a lot of value to IH with his wealth of knowledge. His peers would describe him as a dedicated and hard-working person who is always living life to its fullest. Those who had the pleasure of seeing Sean’s sensitive side know how big his heart really is. When Sean isn’t working he loves to spend his downtime relaxing at home on his hobby farm with his three dogs with one more on the way! As a volunteer for the Emergency Medical Response Team at Sun Peaks he hits the slopes regularly. He loves to travel though and he is crossing his fingers that he will be able to jet off on his vacation to Hawaii in 2022 (it was supposed to be 2021). We hope you can enjoy your well-deserved time off! Thank you for all that you do for the High Acuity Response Team (HART)! Check back each Friday for the next We Are IH feature. For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. Sean's nomination of Jasmin Waterman keeps the We Are IH loop going: Jasmin is a housekeeper and dietary aid at Clearwater Hospital. I pick up in Clearwater quite often and I see Jasmin there on a regular basis. Jasmin is so uplifting and fun. She is super happy all of the time which resonates with everyone that she comes into contact with. If we could all be as spirited as Jasmin the world would truly be a better place, she is such a pleasure to work with. In addition, she is a very hard worker that takes pride in everything that she does in whatever position she is doing that day.

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.  With a love of connecting with others, Nicole chose a career at Interior Health where her presence creates a positive impact on the lives of people in her community. Over the past 2.5 years as the Assistant of Organizational Development & Change/Learning Management Systems at Community Health & Services Centre, Nicole has continued to be inspired by building relationships with her peers and customers. As an avid learner of new skills, Nicole brings so much value to her team as she collaborates with her peers to bring positive change to IH. Her hard work was showcased as she handed over $1,000 to the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club for Pink Shirt Day that she led on behalf of IH. It’s moments like this that make Nicole’s favourite quote, “never take anything or anyone for granted”, even more relevant. Born and raised in Kelowna, Okanagan / Syilx (Saay-ilks) Interior Salish, she loves exploring the beautiful four-season playground of the Okanagan. Luckily the golf season is the longest in the country because Nicole loves golfing and the thrill of making a good shot. With a passion for cooking and entertaining, she loves hosting her family and friends over a delicious meal. You may not know this about Nicole, but she loves singing, even if it is mostly for herself. Wanderlust at heart, she is patiently waiting for the time when she can travel again and experience new places. Thank you Nicole for all that you do for your community and Interior Health! Check back each Friday for the next We Are IH feature. For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. Nicole's nomination of Tealya Vickers keeps the We Are IH loop going: Tealya will always be there for support, advice, or passing on her extensive knowledge to her team. She is always positive and eager to help and learn. She is a wonderful example of a dedicated IH employee!

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.  Motivated by her desire to help, Carla chose a career that she knew could create impactful change in the lives of others. As a Social Worker for over 10 years, Royal Inland Hospital has been lucky to have Carla as part of the team for the past six years, primarily in Kidney Care Clinic and Transplant programs. Carla’s role has expanded as an active member of many committees: National Conservative Care, Management Committee, BC Pre-Emptive Transplant Committee, and Polycystic Kidney Disease Committee. The proudest moment in her career was being invited as a member of the Ethics Committee. Congrats Carla, well deserved! In addition, she has been trained as a facilitator for the Serious Illness Conversation, and at her local hospital, she has developed and taken the lead for the Palliative Response Team during COVID-19 and is a member of the Morgue Process Committee and Ethics Committee. Born and raised in Kamloops / Secwépemc (She-whep-m), Carla has always been inspired by people in her life, photography, and art. To this day, her favourite hobby outside of work is capturing images with her camera and creating art. As an avid learner, Carla is always educating herself and providing insight and learning resourceful ways to make a change. Her love of caring for people extended past her career as a Social Worker as she took on the role of a volunteer firefighter to serve and protect her community. As motivated as Carla is, she also knows how to work hard and play hard. She enjoys looking forward to the weekend spending quality time with loved ones and creating art. Check back each Friday for the next We Are IH feature. For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. Carla's nomination of Annelise Beach & Jenni Culbert keeps the We Are IH loop going: Annelise Beach is always helping out where she can, eager to learn, and a strong member of the Social Work team. Jenni Culbert is the fearless leader of Social Work who encourages the development and personal growth of each member of the Social Work team.

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.  When Carly is around you can feel her positive energy, bubbly personality, her caring heart, and her friendly demeanor. As a Senior Administrative Assistant for Home Support at TPM in Kamloops Secwep emc (She-whep -m) / Shuswap - Interior Salish she continues to bring joy and positivity to those around her. Over the past 2.5 years of her career at Interior Health she is continuously inspired by feeling like a valuable piece in such a big wheel of Home Community Care. One of Carly’s proudest moments at IH was when her co-worker, Barbara Olechow wanted to give back some positive light to Carly with a RAAR. She said, “Carly your exemplary work approach is unsurpassable. We all appreciate your time, infectious energy, cheery disposition, and all of your hard work to keep this department running smoothly!” This recognition and appreciation made Carly feel valued and that is exactly why we created the RAAR (Random Acts of Appreciation and Recognition) at Interior Health. When Carly isn’t working, she is spending time with her family and binge-watching her favourite TV show, Friends. Born and raised in Kitimat, British Columbia, Carly is expanding her own family with her second baby on the way this fall! Carly loves helping others and turning their day into a positive one and that shines through in her work. Let’s give some love back to Carly, comment on the social media post, and say hi! Congratulations Carly on all of your professional success and your second baby coming soon! Check back each Friday for the next We Are IH feature. For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. Carly's nomination of Tayla Mullen keeps the We Are IH loop going: "Tayla is a Casual LPN in our department. She is the hardest working casual I have ever met and is constantly involved and is always working hard to further her training and education to be the best LPN she can be. She is also devoted to working to make our department the best it can be. She is recently engaged and deserves all the good things in life!"

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.  Currently a Program Coordinator for Staff Recognition at Cariboo Memorial Hospital, Anna has been with IH for eight years. Born and raised in Williams Lake, British Columbia, in the ancestral area of Tsilhqot'in (Chil-co-teen)/ Chilcotin, young Anna was a happy, outgoing and kind-hearted girl who loved to show appreciation to loved ones. As the Program Coordinator for Staff Recognition at Interior Health located at Cariboo Memorial Hospital, the growth of her new role over the past year is a reflection of her genuine personality and her love of giving and showing appreciation for others' contributions. As a goal-oriented person herself, Anna understands the importance of recognition and showing appreciation to staff at Interior Health. Currently leading the new staff recognition initiative, We Are IH, Anna’s generosity shines through as she works hard to help create a workplace where everyone feels appreciated. "Always do one per cent better every day and always be kind," is Anna's favourite quote. Inspired daily by the tremendous efforts and dedication of staff at IH, Anna continues to pave the way to growing staff recognition. In light of the current pandemic, she has been resourceful and innovative in staff recognition. One of her proudest moments at IH is organizing the Long Term Service Awards and this year Anna has pivoted to a virtual platform and continues to ensure that Interior Health employees are feeling appreciated for their hard work and dedication. With a love of traveling, this year has looked a bit different for Anna and her loved ones, so when she hasn’t been working she has been out camping in the beautiful outdoors of British Columbia. Those who work alongside Anna sincerely appreciate her valuable contribution to the organization and her helpful and kind demeanour. We appreciate you so much Anna and are thankful to have you a part of Interior Health! Check back each Friday for the next We Are IH feature. For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca.

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."