There may come a time in your life or a loved one’s life where you’ll need extra help with living at home. A wide range of services are available to you right in your own home and in your community from Interior Health (IH).   “When provided with the assistance and support to live safely and independently in their own home, most people will choose that option over living elsewhere,” says Susan Labonte, regional director for Home Health. “Anyone can make a referral to Home Health, and once the referral is assigned to a Home Health clinician, we do a thorough assessment and recommend care and services appropriate for your needs.”

Name: Tammy Molina (she/her/hers)Job Title: Regional Practice Leader, Clinical EthicsYears of Service: 13Worksite: Kelowna Community Health & Services CentreCommunity: KelownaAncestral Territory: Okanagan-SyilxFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “It's hard to choose one, but I think what often stirs up my heart and mind most frequently is ‘be the change you want to see.’” In her position with Interior Health (IH) as regional practice leader, clinical ethics, Tammy Molina collaborates with employees and medical staff (physicians, nurse practitioners, midwives, etc.) as they navigate what she calls “crunchy” situations that would benefit from an ethical decision-making process. “It’s so important for us to be able to intentionally examine our responsibilities, priorities, choices and impacts, and not only understand but also explain why we have made the decision we did,” Tammy says. “I enjoy being invited to walk through difficult scenarios with teams to pull back the layers and look at what values and priorities are in conflict and provide space to acknowledge the discomfort or uncertainty.”

Jennifer Monaghan was a healthy, active stay-at-home mom when she was diagnosed with a heart condition. “I came downstairs one night after tucking my daughter in, and no words would come out,” she recalls. Her husband recognized immediately that she was having a stroke. After being admitted to Kelowna General Hospital, she started to undergo a lengthy series of tests. It was in the course of testing that doctors discovered she had cardiomyopathy, a dysfunction of her heart. Jennifer would go on to spend a month in the hospital in rehabilitation and would later attend KGH’s Heart Function Clinic. “That was the beginning of my health journey,” says Jennifer. She was 43 years old at the time.

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.  In this first story of our series on the incredible health-care and hospital foundations throughout our region, we interviewed Steven Hui, chair of the Revelstoke and District Health Foundation.

Name: Tiova de Kok (she/her/hers)Job Title: Regional, Project Lead, Perinatal Substance UseYears of Service: 21Worksite: Regional role, based out of 100 Mile District General HospitalCommunity: 100 Mile HouseAncestral Territory: SecwépemcFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Always be a little kinder than necessary.” - J.M. Barie Tiova de Kok – wife, mother, grandmother, nurse and lifelong learner – knew from when she was a small child that nursing was a life goal. She’s had the privilege of serving since 2003 and feels blessed to be surrounded by passionate, dedicated colleagues who support and bring ideas to life.  Born in Dinsmore, Saskatchewan, and raised in both Saskatoon and Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tiova believes that you can find art and creativity in everything you put your hands to.

Yanmei (Mei) Chen never thought she was cut out for a job in health care. The former educator from China, who immigrated to Canada in 2020, was skeptical about changing careers later in life. But the financial pressures of the pandemic on her family eventually compelled her to make a change. Mei heard about the Health Career Access Program (HCAP), a government-funded initiative launched in 2020 that provides a path for applicants with little to no experience in the health sector to get hired and receive paid training as part of their employment. The Kelowna resident said she sent a letter to Interior Health to “test the waters.” “I was amazed I got an email back,” she says. “I couldn’t believe there was a program that let you retrain while paying you a salary.” Interior Health (IH), like all B.C.’s health authorities, has been involved in the program since the beginning, and in March reached a milestone with our largest ever cohort of HCAP graduates — a whopping 73. The graduates are spread across IH’s four regions: East Kootenay (19), Kootenay Boundary (17), Thompson Cariboo Shuswap (11) and the Okanagan (26). They're now ready to begin their new careers as health-care assistants at various IH or contracted or private sites or facilities.

Brynn and Hayden are youth in the Interior who have lived experience with substance use. They teamed up with Interior Heath to promote new services for their youth peers. The SAY project was launched in 2023 to promote the new substance use services Interior Health created specifically for youth across the region. Hayden and Brynn (not their real names) helped create the campaign to spread the word about these services.*

Name: Edward Schaffer (he/him/his)Job Title: PhysicianYears of Service: 7Worksite: Invermere & District Hospital and East Kootenay Regional HospitalCommunity: Invermere/CranbrookAncestral Territory: Born in the Treaty 7 Territory in Alberta; currently working in the Akisqnuk (part of the Ktunaxa First Nation) and Secwépemc Growing up in a small town of 1,500 in southern Alberta, Edward knew early on he wanted to work in rural medicine. Inspired by a view of the Rocky Mountains from his childhood home, he dreamt of one day settling in a place surrounded by mountains, lakes, and wilderness. Fast forward several years, and Edward has realized both his professional and geographical ambitions. He’s now based in Invermere and works as a physician with Added Competence in Emergency Medicine (CCFP-EM) and head of the emergency department at Invermere District Hospital. He’s also a locum emergency department (ED) physician at East Kootenay Regional Hospital, supporting the facility as needed.

Vinaysinh (Vinny) Chauhan was enjoying a game of cricket on a warm June night in 2023 in Merritt when he started feeling unwell. “My neck was feeling sore, and I was dizzy,” he recalls. He sat down on the field. His teammates brought him some snacks and juice, but he continued to feel poorly. They brought him home to sleep, but his symptoms continued. By the time his teammates took him to Nicola Valley Hospital, his blood pressure was very high and he was obviously very ill. The next thing he remembers is waking up in Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. Vinny had had two strokes: one in his brainstem, and one in his spinal cord. Not only was Vinny’s condition rare, but it was also surprising given his age—just 42 years old.