To advance health-focused climate change action and sustainability in B.C.’s Southern Interior, we’ve developed the Climate Change and Sustainability Roadmap. The Roadmap will serve as a strategy to guide 20 climate change and sustainability actions across IH over the next five years. Building a network of health-care staff who participate in projects and initiatives to advance environmental sustainability and climate resilience across the organization is a key part of IH’s vision of improved health and well-being for all.

Have you ever wondered who helps ensure food establishments are serving your food safely, or the water you’re swimming in is safe? How boil water advisories are issued? Or what happens when someone comes into contact with a bat? That’s your Interior Health environmental health officers (EHOs) at work. Water quality, health inspections and animal encounters are just some of the many responsibilities EHOs have. Working closely with our medical health officers, our environmental health team also offers guidance when the air is smoky from wildfires, provides resources to make sure your indoor air quality is safe, and shares information on how to protect yourself from common diseases from animals and insects. Our EHOs cover 215,000 square kilometers of the Southern Interior region. Some work in our urban centres. Others have to jump into a helicopter or hop onto a boat to visit an operation in a remote part of our region. We sat down with four of our EHOs to ask them about their jobs and what gets them excited about the work they do. After you read their profiles, learn more about environmental public health profession and explore our careers.

Name: Emily Larochelle (she/her/hers)Job Title:  Registered Nurse, Clinical Care EducatorYears of Service: 13Worksite: Kootenay Boundary Regional HospitalCommunity: Trail, West KootenaysAncestral Territory: Ktunaxa and Syilx NationsFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: "There is a light somewhere. It may not be much light but it beats the darkness." – Charles Bukowski  

When long-term care residents throughout the region had to evacuate this summer due to wildfires, Interior Health team members stepped up repeatedly to help. Nearly 1,000 long-term care residents were evacuated over the summer at various times due to wildfire threats, and have since been able to return home.

Nestled in the heart of the Nicola Valley, the City of Merritt is a beautiful place to call home and explore a career in health care. With its wide array of outdoor recreation activities and more laid back lifestyle, the rural centre has something for everyone. The Country Music Capital of Canada, located about two hours north of Metro Vancouver, is exponentially more affordable than many places in B.C. While the average sale price for a home in Metro Vancouver hit $1.27 million in July 2023, the average prices in Merritt sit around $575,000. 

Content warning: residential schools, death. The information and material presented here may cause unpleasant feelings or thoughts for some people. Many individuals find it helpful to discuss these feelings in a supportive and trusting environment. Please reach out to the supports most appropriate to your individual needs: KUU-US (Aboriginal) Crisis line at 1-800-588-8717 BC Crisis Line at 310-6789 In 2021, the government of Canada officially made Sept. 30 a federal statutory holiday called the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; the Province of British Columbia also officially declared Sept. 30 a statutory holiday in March 2023. This is a day for all people living on Turtle Island, now known as Canada, to recognize the tragic legacy of residential schools and honour the children who never returned home, the survivors of these institutions, the families left behind, and their communities.  Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history, and ongoing impacts of residential schools, is a vital component of the reconciliation process. Interior Health (IH) is committed to addressing past and present harms resulting from the residential school legacy and negative effects to the health and well-being of Aboriginal Peoples. This comes in the form of addressing Indigenous-specific racism within the B.C. health-care system by focusing on advancing Aboriginal health and cultural safety within health service delivery.  In advance of this year’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we wanted to highlight some of the change-makers at IH who are working to strengthen our relationships with Aboriginal partners, and recognize and appreciate the heritage and diverse cultures of Aboriginal communities and people we serve, and how we’re striving to embed their wisdom, knowledge, and culture into how we deliver services to provide culturally safe care.

Name: Dr. Reena Baweja (she/her/hers)Job Title: NeurosurgeonYears of Service: 2Worksite: Royal Inland Hospital Community: KamloopsAncestral Territory: SecwépemcFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: Kindness is king! Dr. Reena Baweja was very well travelled before moving to Kamloops to accept a neurosurgeon role at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) in July 2021. Born and raised in Ottawa, she received her undergraduate degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and completed medical school in Australia at the University of Sydney. She finished her neurosurgery training at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and then completed a two-year fellowship at the University of Ottawa, specializing in peripheral nerve and spinal disorders. “My desire to explore the other side of the world led me to Australia … but my desire to practice in Canada led me back home,” Dr. Baweja said. “I moved to Kamloops for the general neurosurgical position at Royal Inland Hospital because it offered high volume trauma and the opportunity to gain valuable experience.”

Talking about suicide – starting the conversation, listening, providing support, and connecting people with help – can be difficult and even scary, but it’s important to help prevent suicide and end the stigma surrounding it.  If you’re worried about someone, don’t be afraid to tell them; talking about suicide doesn’t make them more likely to do it, and they may be relieved to have someone who cares to talk to.  If the individual tells you they have a plan to end their life, stay with them until you connect them with supports.

Name: Shannon Campbell (she/her/hers)Job Title: Manager, Workplace Safety StrategyYears of Service: 31Worksite: Community Health Services Centre Community: KelownaAncestral Territory: Syilx NationFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: "If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!" – Richard Branson After starting her career as a registered nurse (RN) and working at Kelowna General Hospital, Shannon Campbell never guessed that she would transition into a safety career 18 years later.  Now, as manager of workplace safety strategy, Shannon credits the opportunities that were provided to her by Interior Health for making a career change that has been extremely rewarding.