This is part two in our three-part series that explores food literacy in schools in the Interior Health region. Every Friday at Senpaq’cin School (pronounced Sen-Pok-Chin) in Oliver, students from kindergarten to Grade 7 take part in Fire Fridays, a land-based learning program that connects syilx language, culture and food sovereignty. At the First Nations school, sessions begin with a talking circle where students explore traditional foods and culture, and the importance of honouring food systems and providers.  Students then move through hands-on learning stations, from art and drumming, to gardening and cooking. Each station is designed to spark curiosity and pride in cultural teachings. This season, students have been harvesting local ingredients and cooking their own meals from start to finish. 

Name: Olivia Duncan (she/her/hers)Job Title: Long-Term Care CoordinatorLength of Service: 18Worksite: Mountain View LodgeCommunity: LillooetAncestral Territory: Northern St'at'mic Olivia Duncan, a long-term care coordinator for Mountain View Lodge, grew up in Lillooet on the traditional, ancestral and unceded Northern St’at’imc territory. She returned with her husband and two children in 2019 after living in Fort St. John and Penticton.   When Olivia was 17, she started working at Lillooet Hospital with Support Services with both the housekeeping and dietary teams. She thanks her supervisor at the time for taking a chance on a teenager! She immediately fell in love with the energy of the hospital and thought the world of the nursing staff. “They were such a tight-knit community,” Olivia says. “And I wanted to be a part of that!” Olivia pursued a career in nursing after high-school graduation and has been nursing since 2014. For her, it’s all about connection. In each area of nursing she’s worked, Olivia’s always found joy in building relationships with her patients, residents and their families. She understands that being in a hospital or long-term care facility can be a very vulnerable moment in time for patients and their families. It's a really special moment when she’s able to take a bit of that worry away.

School District 73 (Kamloops-Thompson) has welcomed a new group of students eager to explore health-care careers into its Health Sciences Academy (HSA).  A partnership between School District 73, Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and Interior Health (IH), HSA offers high school students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to blend academics with real-world experience. Students earn both high school credits and a psychology course dual-credit through TRU, while participating in career exploration placements with IH.  Related Stories@IH: Academy ignites high school students’ passion for health careers

The Interior Health (IH) Legal Substances team and the YOUTHWISE Advisory Group are excited to launch IH’s annual youth poster contest, Beyond the Buzz 2.0: Youth Voices on Substance Use for the chance to win a gift card worth $150 of the winners choice. Unlike many other campaigns that focus exclusively on the health concerns of substance use, IH’s innovative contest has a different approach that aims at empowering youth to share their perspective on the issues. Ultimately, this project helps to develop peer-to-peer messaging for teens across the region, encouraging positive decision-making and strengthening prevention messaging from a teen’s perspective.

Name: Emily Davidson (she/her/hers)Job Title: Licensed Practical NurseLength of Service: 9Worksite: Kelowna General Hospital  Community: KelownaAncestral Territory: syilx For nearly a decade, Emily Davidson has called the syilx ancestral territory—also known as Kelowna—home. She acknowledges the importance of living and working on this land with humility and respect.  “To me, reconciliation means acknowledging atrocities done to the First Nations Peoples,” she says. “It means checking my own bias when assessing a patient or speaking with their families. It’s about choosing to actively be a part in deconstructing colonialist ideals and becoming humbled by learning about ancestral knowledge, languages and practices. We have so far to go, and so much to learn.” For the past six years, Emily has been caring for patients as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) at Kelowna General Hospital, where she remains a steady presence on Ward 3 East.  "I have been on the same ward for six years and have no plans to leave,” she says. "Consistency and routine help me focus on giving the best care I can, even with the variables in health care."

This is part one in a series exploring the connection between housing and health in the Interior Health region. In Canada, access to safe, affordable housing is one of the strongest predictors of health. Research shows people without stable housing face additional health impacts and more barriers to care. Although housing is both a basic need and a human right under international human rights law, many people - including people living in the Interior Health region - are without homes. “Having a home is a basis for everything. Without it, it’s impossible to do anything … all you can do is survive,” says Shane, a resident at a Vernon supportive housing facility featured in a BC Housing video. “The public considers us dirty and bad. And like, everybody’s a criminal, and that’s not the case."

Name: Sahra Gibb (she/her/hers)Job Title: Team Lead, Internal RecruitmentLength of Service: 12Worksite: Community Health and Services Centre Community: KelownaAncestral Territory: syilxFavourite Quote / Advice to Live By: “Nature has always been a part of my identity. Growing up on a farm instilled a love of all things that grow, and camping and hiking with my family meant that the beautiful bush around the Okanagan is a place of peace, connection and joy. While my job is inside at a desk, I spend as much time as I can in my flower garden, camping on weekends, and hiking in nature with friends.” Sahra Gibb says that while a career in health care was “not originally on my radar as a student,” she quickly recognized she could utilize her training in human resources (HR) in the health-care sector to make a difference in people’s lives. “I pursued a career in human resources as I felt strongly about helping people thrive in their workplaces,” explains Sahra, who’s been with Interior Health (IH) for 12 years. “Health care came on my radar as many of my childhood friends entered the industry and I recognized the massive contribution they were making to our communities.” Sahra joined IH just two months after graduating from Okanagan College in 2013, working her way up from HR assistant in the benefits department to her current role as a team lead in Internal Recruitment.

As the toxic drug emergency continues, drug checking is one way to reduce the risk of using unregulated drugs. Drug checking provides the most accurate information about what is in drugs, so people who use drugs can make informed choices about where, when and how much to use. The service is fast, free, confidential, and is legal at approved sites. Samples can be as small as a grain of rice and results are typically available within 10 minutes. The staff who provide the service are non-judgmental and, no matter the results, we don’t confiscate drugs, and they can be returned to you. Whatever reason you choose to use drugs; we want you to bring in or drop off a sample for testing before you use.

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 next story of our series on the incredible health-care and hospital foundations throughout our region, we interviewed Jessica McLellan, chair of Lillooet District Hospital Foundation.