There is no question that COVID-19 has changed the way we do things.  Some of these changes have made life more challenging, but some have led to very positive outcomes. In particular, those receiving kidney treatment through the Kelowna renal program have benefited from a new process of completing vascular surgery patient consultations and pre-surgical screening visits by telephone. Many renal patients require a fistula as a way to receive dialysis. A fistula is a relatively minor vascular surgery during which a vein and an artery are joined together. Patients travel from the East/West Kootenays, Vernon and Penticton to Kelowna General Hospital for this procedure by one of four vascular surgeons. Prior to COVID-19, this procedure required either three trips to one of the major centres or up to a one week stay in Kelowna to have a consultation with the surgeon and to meet with the anaesthesiologist before proceeding to surgery. Since COVID-19, renal patients have been able to have these appointments from the comfort of their own home and are saving time, gas, and money as a result. Sandra Sunderman“It was amazing," says Sandra Sunderman. "We talked about the fistula, and within about two weeks, I had it done. I was mapped in Penticton. Then, the vascular surgeon from Kelowna called me the next day. A day later, the pre-surgical screening people called me. Within two weeks of talking about it, I had it done. It was awesome." For patients in the Penticton renal program, this new process has been of particular benefit. In the last three months, seven renal patients have received fistulas.  “Speaking as a nephrologist, one of the major challenges that patients bring up year after year is the number of trips required to get their vascular access surgery complete," says Dr. Brian Forzley, a Penticton kidney specialist. "For some folks it isn’t a major challenge, but for many folks taking time off work or even getting transportation are real struggles, the number of trips is a real part of the burden of their kidney disease. One of the unexpected outcomes of COVID-19 is our transition to telehealth, in areas that practitioners haven’t felt comfortable with previously, including an anaesthesia pre-op consultation for an elective vascular access surgery. So far things have been going great, and the number of fistulas we’ve been able to secure for our patients in Penticton has risen dramatically. It’s really a silver lining to be sure!”  

Having been raised in the Kootenays, Dennis Senft wasn’t completely surprised when his career in nursing found him coming back to the area where he grew up. Dennis, who moved to Trail with his wife over a year ago, joined the health care team at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH), working as an emergency department nurse. When he was looking for a new nursing post, it was the small-town feel he was after. That's what attracted him to KBRH. “My wife and I both grew up in small towns and there is a feel about small towns and the close-knit community,” says Dennis. “You know a lot of people in the community and you might see them come into the emergency room needing care.” Upon starting his new job, Dennis found a department similar in feel to what he knew of the community: It was a tight-knit team doing great work. Now Dennis and his colleagues have a place to work that matches their skill set with the opening of a new emergency department (ED) at KBRH. The new ED will help to modernize the department, bringing in state-of-the-art equipment to a care environment that has nearly tripled in size. Enhanced patient privacy is one of the key benefits of the renovation, a $19.08-million project funded by Interior Health, the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Health District, and the KBRH Health Foundation. It’s part of a larger redevelopment of KBRH that also includes a $23.3-million project to build a new ambulatory care clinic and renovate the hospital’s pharmacy. Private exam rooms feature walls and sliding glass doors instead of curtains. Patients will present themselves at a dedicated emergency department entrance, and will be seen by a nurse immediately. The new ED opened to patients on Sept. 1, 2020. “There is a lot more privacy,” says Dennis. “This helps staff and patients. If I’m asking patients a personal question, I can slide the door closed and now the patient can answer without fear of that information getting out.” Cathy McAlpine certainly knows something about close-knit communities. Born and raised in Trail and having raised two kids with her late husband in the city, Cathy not only worked at the hospital as a lab technologist, she also leaned on the skilled health care professionals and her former colleagues when her husband fell ill, and they needed the services of KBRH. She says the care she received was wonderful and that the treatment and care her husband received was second to none. Given how much she cares about the hospital and its staff and physicians, she was happy to be able to get a sneak peak of the new ED before it opened. “It was pretty impressive. I was a little overwhelmed at how beautiful the new ED is and the capabilities it is going to have. I just love the new set up. The privacy will be appreciated by many who come into emergency and are experiencing what you will have to when you are having those personal procedures,” says Cathy. The community played a huge part in the project, through a $1-million campaign run by the KBRH Health Foundation. The money went toward purchasing state-of-the-art equipment for the ED. “The facility, the town, the region, everyone has worked so hard to support the hospital,” says Cathy. “I’ve always been proud of what the foundation has done and what the community has done. It’s pretty neat they are going to have this awesome facility.” “Raising $1million over the past two years is a significant accomplishment and we want to thank all our donors for their extraordinary level of support for our community,” says Lisa Pasin, Director of Development for the KBRH Health Foundation. For nurse Dennis, the enhancements at KBRH come back to his patients and providing the best care you can to residents throughout the region. “There is a lot more infectious disease control, there is more privacy and the rooms all have sinks,” says Dennis. “It’s going to be brighter with more natural light. It’s bigger and there is space for families. All of this goes toward enhancing the care people will receive.

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.

When the project to build a patient care tower at Penticton Regional Hospital began, a process of stakeholder engagement went with it. Groups of invested and impacted individuals including local residents, First Nations communities, and elected officials became part of a consultation process lasting several years. Despite the epic task at hand, a group of passionate environmentalists wanted to ensure the project considered the interests of even the tiniest of stakeholders. They championed a cause over three years to restore and protect the habitat of a small lizard known as the western skink. The western skink has made its home in many parts of B.C. including the area surrounding Penticton Regional Hospital. It has been identified as a species-at-risk due to its dependency on dry rocky slopes, silt embankments and rocky creek banks to make its home.  A young western skink is recognizable by its bright cobalt blue tail Alongside the monumental task of enhancing patient care through the building of a brand new patient care tower at Penticton Regional Hospital, this small group of environmental stewards worked to ensure the project would protect the smallest of local residents. The work paid off. Thanks to their advocacy and fundraising efforts, the new landscape of the hospital grounds now includes artificial dens which provide critical shelter for winter and the careful placement of flat cover rocks. In recent months as the skinks have returned to the area, staff and visitors around the hospital are reminded to tread lightly, thanks to a series of skink crossing signs.  

International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held each year on August 31 to raise awareness about overdose, and reduce the stigma associated with substance use. It is also an important day to recognize the loss and grief felt by so many people around the world who have lost loved ones to overdose. This opportunity to build awareness and provide public education is more important than ever - recent trends are alarming. According to the latest report from the BC Coroner's Service, within Interior Health during the first seven months of 2020 alone there have been 143 overdose deaths. This is a drastic increase over 2019, when there were 139 deaths total in IH for the whole year. “There is no doubt that communities across Interior Health have been greatly affected by the current overdose public health emergency.  International Overdose Awareness Day gives us an opportunity to raise awareness about overdose and reduce stigma associated with substance use and drug-related death," says Interior Health Substance Use Practice Lead Jessica Mensinger. "As the impacts of overdose continue to be felt by individuals, families and communities across the region, we want to do everything we can to come together to make a difference. International Overdose Awareness day is an opportunity to do that on a broad scale.” Within Interior Health this important day is being recognized in many different ways. In Kamloops, RIH will be lighting its pedestrian walkway again this year, and the advocacy group Addiction Matters Kamloops will be working alongside a community group to fund a meal for people who are homeless and marginally housed, while also promoting the Words Matter pledge. Visit www.addictionmatters.ca for information about the Photo Voice project and the Words Matter pledge. The pedestrian walkway at RIH in Kamloops will be lit in purple again this year, to mark International Overdose Awareness Day. In Kelowna, people visiting the Community Health and Services Centre on Doyle and Ellis will have the opportunity to check out the Photo Voice Project, a gallery-style collection of photos by individuals and families with lived experience of substance use, helping others see the world through their eyes.   Examples of contributions to the Photo Voice Project that will be on display in Kelowna for International Overdose Awareness Day.     Activities planned in other parts of the region include the Okanagan Nation Alliance's Purple Ribbon Campaign, and an awareness campaign by Moms Stop the Harm. Local Community Action Teams are marking the day by providing Naloxone training and distributing wellness kits. To learn more about the overdose public health emergency, including prevention tips, visit the Overdose Emergency Information webpage.

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 the Peri-operative Manager at East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook, AJ has been with IH for 15 years. AJ continues to be inspired by the desire to empower others to succeed. Her colleagues, friends and family would describe AJ as very driven, and her career at IH is a reflection of her hard work serving others. Over the past 15 years, AJ has loved working with people and trying to improve the quality of service we provide. AJ is very active and loves exploring the beautiful outdoors of her home in Cranbrook, where she was raised after being born in Trail, B.C. She headed to the big city, Vancouver, for 13 years before moving back to Cranbrook in 2005. A lot has changed since then, but her favourite band is still Motley Crue! "Learn From Your Mistakes." A.J.'s favourite quote. You could say that health care runs through AJ's family line, with her mom's career as a Unit Clerk for IH and her sister working alongside them at IH as a Nurse Practitioner. This past January their roles suddenly changed as they were by their father's side during his cardiac arrest. AJ says he received incredible care in both Creston and Kelowna. The family is thankful he is healthy and that they were able to support him. When AJ isn't working, you can find her out hiking with her bulldog, Ella, her two kids, ages 20 and 19, and her husband, or training for Ironman Triathlons and Ultra Marathons. An adventurer at heart, AJ is anxiously awaiting to be able to travel again and continue her global explorations with her family. Check back each Friday for the next We Are IH feature. For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. A.J.'s nomination of Crystal White keeps the We Are IH loop going: "Crystal is strong, independent, smart and decisive. She leads the Critical Care Network; she was my ‘person’ while I worked in the Emergency Network."

Brian is a familiar figure in his community. He is an avid reader who enjoys hiking and is sometimes seen walking with his pet Bearded Dragon draped over his shoulder. “I love her. She keeps me out of trouble,” he says affectionately. “She was quite small when she was born - she was a runt. I wasn’t sure if she was a boy or a girl, so I named her Sasha.” He is involved in multiple volunteer projects, such as community clean-ups and anti-stigma work, and provides harm reduction support at the local outreach centre. “I volunteer doing outreach, giving out harm reduction supplies. I teach people how to use Naloxone. I work at the Cammy Lafluer clinic. I like to help out, steer someone away from using drugs if I can, but if not, I’ll teach them how to do it right, to be safer.” Brian’s story began in a Vancouver hospital where he was born with serious health complications due to his biological mother’s heroin and alcohol use. After spending the first year of his life in hospital, Brian was adopted. He grew up in Cranbrook, doing “normal kid stuff” like playing soccer, riding motorbikes, and fishing. But it was never easy. “I was always awkward. I felt like I was in the way, like I didn’t fit in,” he recalls. That feeling changed the first time he experienced an opioid. As a young teen he was given morphine in hospital following an injury. For the first time in his life, he says, Brian felt normal…like he belonged. It is a sentiment supported by substantial research. "Literature shows a connection between trauma and opioid use. We know that early childhood trauma - like being in a hospital for a year - changes the brain and makes it vulnerable to the effects of opioids," says Interior Health Substance Use Director Corinne Dolman. It was the beginning of a longstanding dependency on opioids, which Brian has managed with prescription methadone for more than 30 years. “I’ve definitely been impacted by stigma. I see it every day.” “Just accept people as they are. Just treat people the way you want to be treated.” “It’s that simple.” Watch the video and share Brian’s story. Check out more resources about stigma and substance use. Help #EndStigma. Brian's story is part three in a four part series of stories and videos about the stigma faced by those impacted by substance use.

"There are only so many ways to fix a broken leg," says Debi Morris. "But if you have five patients with a mood disorder, there will be so many ways you will approach treatment." For Debi, the field of Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) is fascinating, in part, because care and treatment needs to be individualized to be effective. What may be recovery for one person will be different for another person. "It's the epitome of patient-centred care because if we're not [individualizing treatment], we're not going to get the outcomes that we need for people." Debi serves IH West as the MHSU Administrator. Aboriginal Health Lead Vanessa Mitchell interviewed Debi recently for the Interior Voices podcast series. The pair discussed the importance of patient-centred care and reminisced about the time they spent together last summer on the Nlaka'pamux communities tour. Vanessa Mitchell points out this approach very much aligns with trauma-informed practice and culturally safe practice. The Nlaka'pamux communities tour afforded managers like Debi the time and experience to see firsthand the unique health challenges experienced in communities. "We have a lot of conversations in our day-to-day work about access," Debi says. "But if someone lives on a gravel road fifty kilometres or more from the nearest services, what does that look like compared to someone who lives in downtown Kamloops?" Spending time in communities is also an important step towards building relationships and "relationship is a pathway to removing barriers in and of itself," says Debi. To hear the full conversation and learn more, tune in to Interior Voices. Listen to the podcastInterior Voices is a podcast that explores the intersection of health and culture in the workplace, everyday lives, and patient care. While it was created to help expand IH staff and physician engagement around cultural safety, many episodes will also interest community members. The series includes interviews with IH staff, physicians, and others living and working in the Interior region.

Jonathan Green is a recent high-school grad from Kelowna. His mom is also a physician at the Urgent and Primary Care Centre in town. As part of a recent class project he created a video to help spread the word about staying safe and protecting ourselves against COVID-19. "I see my mom going to work every day and I just want her to be safe," says Jonathan. "So for her to be as safe as possible, I want to help spread the message of physical distancing and other precautions like staying home when sick and wearing a mask when distancing isn't possible." Watch Jonathan's video and learn more about protecting yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19 by checking out our trusted information.