We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories. Name: Shaylee Peterson Worksite: Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops Years of Service: 4 Job Title: Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – Cardiology Quote: "If you're not a little uncomfortable, you're not learning. Getting outside your comfort zone is how you grow." Passionate about teaching others and sharing her love of learning, is just one of the many reasons Shaylee excels in her role as a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Cardiology at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. Recognized as Preceptor of the Year by Interior Health Pharmacy Residency Program in 2019, Shaylee has influenced the lives of many and brought instrumental value to our organization. You can see the genuine care Shaylee has for her colleagues, students, mentors, friends, and family through her actions, as she routinely goes out of her way to help others. In recognition of Pharmacy Appreciation Month, we want to extend our gratitude to all of the incredible pharmacists at Interior Health. Shining a spotlight on all things pharmacy, the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacy has moved from ‘awareness’ to ‘appreciation’ this March to better reflect and celebrate the extraordinary role the hospital pharmacy team plays in health care, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to celebrate and recognize the integral role that our hospital pharmacy teams provide in their continuous delivery of care. They have shown to be flexible, delivered on best practices, and put in countless hours in the face of adversity. Working collaboratively on an interdisciplinary team, their success is founded on mutual respect for each other's expertise. Always striving to improve the quality of care provided by Interior Health, Shaylee takes every opportunity to conduct research and bring new ideas to the table. Her enthusiastic personality helps motivate those around her and with her natural leadership abilities; she makes a positive impact daily. Raised in Kelowna, Shaylee grew up exploring the outdoors and living an active lifestyle. She continues to explore the mountains year-round, whether on foot, on skis, or on her mountain bike. Enthusiastic about yoga she has taken her love to the next level, practicing acro-yoga on the beaches in Kamloops. When she isn't exploring the outdoors she can be found playing the flute alongside the Thompson Valley Orchestra. With the Royal Inland Hospital's expansion project underway, including a new patient care tower and the latest technology integrated throughout the hospital, there are many exciting opportunities ahead.   Shaylee's nomination keeps the We Are IH loop going: Name: Elizabeth (Liz) Edwards, Clinical Pharmacist, Kootenay Lake Hospital "Liz was one of my preceptors and mentors during my residency. She inspired me with the strong relationships and trust she developed with her colleagues and patients. She is an incredible pharmacist who excels in the workplace but also has a great work-life balance. She continues to inspire residents and students every year and shows them that you don’t have to work in a big center to have a huge impact on patient care." - Shaylee Peterson For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. Stay updated with careers at Interior Health @IHJobs  |   @InteriorHealthBC.Careers  |   @InteriorHealthAuthority

As the work of Interior Health's Journey to Aboriginal Cultural Safety & Humility team expanded over the last few years, program manager Vanessa Mitchell looked to Nation Elders for guidance. One of the Elders who helped shape this important work was Mollie Bono. "We had the great pleasure and privilege to work with Mollie as a Syilx Elder Advisor from the Similkameen. It is important to me for the team to have a connection to the community for this work of cultural safety and humility within a colonial system is what I personally experience and deem as ‘hard work and heart work’, " says Vanessa. Mollie helped the team come together in a way that was deep and profound. Through their collaboration, they were able to create a collective vision of how to affect transformative change at Interior Health. "Mollie's impact was profound because she loved with openness and warmth, and believed in the people around her," says Katrina Plamondon. Katrina provided program input and created the visual (pictured above) that continues to guide the team today. From start to finish, Mollie was integral in supporting the Physician Cultural Safety Video project where Interior Health physicians were interviewed about their perspectives on Aboriginal cultural safety. Mollie ensured that the project was done in a good way – it was a sacred endeavor grounded in respect, ceremony, traditional wisdom and healing. Interior Health was fortunate to benefit from Mollie's amazing presence, her abundance of compassion and belief that the health-care systems that serve Aboriginal people could become safe and accepting places of caring. She called upon all of us to see people’s humanity and treat them with warmth, kindness, and love. “She filled a room with love and joy, our hearts were always full after we shared time with Aunty Mollie,” says Stacy Turcotte, a former Educator of the program. “Mollie radiated wisdom and culture and had just the right amount of feistiness,” added Chris Macklin, a former Knowledge Facilitator of the program. We are grateful for her time and contributions to cultural safety and humility.

In This Together is a series dedicated to the stories of people contributing to our COVID-19 response. Amanda Neigum knows full well we are in this together. As a patient porter, Amanda and her colleagues at Kelowna General Hospital are responsible for helping with the transportation of patients, equipment, specimens and supplies throughout the facility. But that was pre-pandemic for Amanda, who has also worked in medical imaging, equipment and central supply for personal protective equipment since joining Interior Health about two years ago. When COVID-19 hit, Amanda was offered the opportunity to become a fit-tester, helping health-care professionals be properly fitted for N95 masks and other respirators. And she jumped right in, performing some 2,000 fit-tests in the first 12 months of the pandemic. “I have just really focused on getting as many people through the door that need to be fit-tested as possible,” says Amanda. “It is extremely important for those staff members that are using the respirators daily to be up-to-date on their fittings.” Quantitative fit testing is the most accurate form of a fitting. It’s a data driven approach to determine the fit of a respirator on an individual’s face. Specialized equipment measures the amount of leakage around the seal. Amanda and her colleagues also explain how to put on, remove, and properly wear a respirator. This is critical to keeping health-care workers safe. “At times it has been challenging and stressful but together we manage to pull through and do the best we can,” she says. “The support from the community has been very humbling and has helped to push us through the difficult times.” “A lot has changed since COVID hit. We have had to follow new rules and guidelines. We have taken on new roles and have faced experiences we have never had to face before,” says Amanda. As we have all experienced, things change fast when you are dealing with a pandemic. You have to be nimble and be able to adjust on the fly. It’s something that Amanda is prepared to keep on doing in an effort to keep people safe. And sometimes, luck has a way of finding those who most deserve it. Last week, Amanda was the winner of the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation's 50-50 lottery, which helps support its many important fundraising efforts.

 We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories.  Name: Dr. Elizabeth Parfitt Worksite: Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops Years of Service: 7 Job Title: Infectious Diseases Physician and Site Medical Director Quote: "Relationships are the foundation of everything we do - nurture them." When you meet Dr. Parfitt you can't help but smile. Her genuine passion for medicine and helping others radiates through her conversations. Finding her specialty of infectious diseases fascinating and intellectually stimulating, the past year amidst the pandemic she has brought a wealth of knowledge to Interior Health. Stepping up to help navigate new guidelines and protocols throughout the hospital, she also shared her knowledge with her community to keep everyone informed and safe.  Inspired by her team, the patients they serve, and the community they live in, she goes above and beyond her duty as a physician to give back to those around her. Proud to be a part of a team that values patient-centered culture, there are many moments that bring a smile to her face. When nursing staff highlights the humanity in a difficult situation and provides individualized care for unique circumstances, for example, playing recognizable music for a person with dementia and seeing them light up as they quietly listen. It's moments like these that are so memorable. Growing up in British Columbia in both Cranbrook and Vernon, she has always been passionate about exploring the outdoors and being in nature. Sharing the love of adventure with her husband, Dr. Paul Campsall, an ICU doctor at Royal Inland Hospital, and her two kids, they relocated to Kamloops from Calgary in 2015 to raise their family in the tight-knit community of Kamloops.  When Dr. Parfitt isn't working as an infectious disease physician, in her new position as medical director, or volunteering in her community, she finds joy in spending quality time with her family and friends. Taking advantage of the ski resort, Sun Peaks, in Kamloops, she shares her love of skiing with her kids. Although, it is nice to hit the slopes solo too! Dr. Parfitt skiing with her husband, Dr. Campsall, ICU Physician, Royal Inland Hospital Trained classically on the violin, she also loves creating music and jamming with a band. Looking forward to vaccines allowing us to connect with our loved ones again, hosting one of her famous dance parties is high on the list. Passionate about creating a positive impact in her community, she is proud to see the growth of Royal Inland Hospital with the ongoing expansion and medical care in Kamloops.  Thank you, Dr. Parfitt, for all that you do for Interior Health and your community. You are a trailblazer for others and have provided instrumental value to our team, especially as we navigate this pandemic. We appreciate all that you do!  Dr. Parfitt's nomination keeps the We Are IH loop going: Name: Dr. Gupta & Dr. Marek, Royal Inland Hospital  Message: Working alongside these inspirational women I not only have colleagues that I value but friends I get to work with. They both are truly incredible doctors and bring instrumental value to Royal Inland Hospital. Throughout the ongoing pandemic, they have brought a wealth of knowledge and helped navigate these challenging times as a team. Thank you for all that you do! Dr. Parfitt, Dr. Gupta & Dr. Marek, Infectious Disease Physicians, Royal Inland Hospital For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. Stay updated with careers at Interior Health Facebook: Interior Health  |   Instagram: interiorhealthbc |   LinkedIn: Interior Health Authority

Jan Brandt stopped counting at 300. That was the number of births she had participated in at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops during the first few years of her nursing career. The actual number is much higher. With some 1,200 babies a year born in Kamloops, Jan’s number is in the thousands over more than 15-years in Obstetrics Services, where babies are born at RIH. These aren’t just Kamloops babies, either. RIH provides labour and birth support to families from all parts of the Thomson Cariboo Shuswap region, from Merritt to Clearwater to Chase and beyond. “It’s just been fabulous to be a part of so many births,” says Jan. “We are so excited for the changes that are coming to the Obstetrics Services when the new tower opens.” In the summer of 2022, Jan and her colleagues in labour and delivery, post-partum and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), will find themselves in a new home where they can continue to help so many families at one of the most important times of their lives. The arrival of the Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Tower at RIH in mid-2022 will bring plenty of change to the RIH campus. At nine storeys tall, it will become the focal point of the hospital, with a new main entrance, large family gathering space, patient registration, and clinical care areas throughout. On the tower’s third floor you’ll find the new home of RIH Obstetrics Services. Here, new parents will welcome babies into the world, in a bright and spacious area with lots of natural light and plenty of room for families to gather. “It’s definitely going to enhance the family-centred care that we provide when we move into the new tower,” says Jan. “Family-centred care is about keeping families together as much as possible. The new patient rooms will be bigger to help accommodate families. It’s going to be brighter and comfier and will improve moms and new babies’ journey in our hospital.” The new department will bring all of the Obstetrics Services closer together in one cohesive department, designed with parents’ needs in mind as well as for the best flow for both patients and health-care providers. The rooms will be large and spacious and include a shower or a tub. Bathrooms will feature sliding “barn” doors, something Jan had requested during the staff input into design of the tower. “I think the design was a great process,” she says. “It involved the front-line staff, the leadership, the patient care coordinator, physicians, midwives….we all got to provide input into the design of the rooms and how things will flow and best benefit the patients.” Obstetrical physician Dr. Hilary Baikie is a regular face in RIH Obstetrics Services, having worked in Kamloops for almost 10 years. She says employees and physicians working in the unit are like an extended family themselves. Having a new department coming online is exciting, something to match the skill of the extended Obstetrics team. “It is an exciting time for obstetrical providers to have the opportunity to practice in a state-of-the-art facility,” says Dr. Baikie. “We view ourselves as an obstetrical family: Physicians, midwives, family doctors, nurses and all allied health professionals. We work closely together as a team, so to have a unit to reflect the impeccable care that we deliver here at RIH will be very rewarding.” Along with the new Obstetric Services department, the RIH Patient Care Tower will feature single-patient rooms equipped with their own washrooms, new operating rooms, a mental health and substance use unit, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a new main entrance, atrium, patient registration area, a roof-top helipad and more. Construction began in the fall of 2018 and the tower will open to patients in the summer of 2022.  

It's all about our people. The people who we serve and the people that work for us and with us. We are nothing without our people. Together, we are stronger. Their innovation, dedication, compassion, and commitment to serving our communities are what makes us a Top 100 BC Employer. To be acknowledged as a 2021 BC Top Employer is an absolute honour. It's really a reflection of our incredible staff who works together as a team to provide the best service possible to our communities across the southern Interior of British Columbia.   It's humbling to accept this award, especially amidst the challenging past year working through a pandemic. We were all hit hard, especially in health care. It was with the dedication from our 21,000+ employees that we're able to continue to deliver safe and essential health care services that our communities require daily. Thank you to our team of health care heroes for their service and dedication throughout the pandemic; we are stronger together. In the article, Interior Health goes for a workplace 'perfect mix', they outlined a few reasons why Interior Health was selected as a BC Top Employer for 2021: Interior Health Authority maintains a variety of policies to enable employees to take time for themselves, offering a minimum of four weeks of starting vacation allowance for most employees, up to 18 paid sick days annually, and flexible work options where possible Interior Health Authority helps employees prepare for life after work with retirement planning assistance and generous contributions to a defined benefit pension plan Interior Health Authority recognizes exceptional employee performance through internal awards in a variety of categories including long service, BC Health Care Hero Awards, and quality improvement awards for those who contribute to improving the quality of care provided to patients and families   “I am so proud of each and every person who works at Interior Health. Together, we share a commitment to our communities that is reflected in the dedication, compassion, and innovation our teams bring to the health system.” Susan Brown, President & CEO     Stay updated with careers at Interior Health  @IHJobs  |   @InteriorHealthBC.Careers  |   @InteriorHealthAuthority         Explore a Career at Interior Health

Michelle Hewitt has had a lot of experience receiving health care. She is also a passionate advocate for people with disabilities, a former school principal and an academic. Her unique perspective and history are a few of the reasons she has been asked to contribute her thoughts on Interior Health programs and services. Michelle is a patient partner and a member of the Patient Voices Network, a community of patients, families and caregivers in B.C. who work with organizations like Interior Health to improve our health-care system. Patient participation is an important component of how new services and programs are developed. Interior Health benefits greatly from having the perspective of those receiving health-care services. But patient partners bring far more than their experience as a patient to the table. They offer a unique view based on their professional training, past work experience and unique encounters with our health-care system. What led you to becoming a patient partner? "I became involved because it's important me to be an advocate for disabled people," says Michelle. "I have participated in other types of volunteer opportunities, but I wanted to have an impact closer to home. I responded to be a volunteer for a local project that had patient involvement in research and then continued to work with other Interior Health projects." "To be honest, I struggle with the word patient. Everyone in our region is could consider themselves a patient as we all receive some type of health care. We're just people. As people, the experience we go through is very individual. It's also collective because as groups of people we go through the same experiences." Beyond your unique perspective, what else do you bring to this partnership? "Prior to being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I was a school principal with school district 23. Even though I no longer work in that capacity, I certainly bring that administrative lens to the work I'm engaged with. I am also working on my PhD at the moment. My research is focusing on care for young adults who live in long-term care homes. So I have a personal and an academic understanding of how these large systems work and what is required to affect change." How do patient partners improve care? "I think it's essential to have the people receiving programs and services involved in their development. As patient partners, we bring the focus back to the experience of the person receiving care. That's an important lens to have in these discussions." "Don't get me wrong, having patient involvement is hard. It's messy and complicated and requires some difficult conversations. But it's also absolutely necessary." These stories are built on the work originally started by Tatianna Henderson, Student Intern, Quality & Patient Safety.

We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories.  Name: Rikki Barden  Worksite: Supervised Consumption Site, Kamloops Years of Service: 3.5 Job Title: Social Worker "You don't know what you don't know, is a quote I find myself saying a lot. I have no problem acknowledging that even though I can be looked at as the all-knowing professional who should have all the answers and cures for people's problems, I do not. And that's ok. It creates an opportunity to learn something new either by myself or with my clients. I think that being honest about the extent of my knowledge can create opportunities for clients to take on the teaching role and be the experts in something, which is invaluable when building and maintaining relationships. ” -Rikki Barden, Social Worker, Kamloops Rikki's optimistic outlook, easy-going personality, and welcoming nature puts smiles on the faces of those around him. His infectious energy seeps through the worksite creating a positive environment and a safe place for people to come together. As a Social Worker for Interior Health at a Safe Consumption Site in Kamloops, Rikki feels grateful to have what he describes as the best job he could ask for. Supported by his incredible coworkers and community, he builds relationships every day that are meaningful and inspirational. Social Workers are an integral part of our health-care system providing essential services. To help us celebrate the essential service of Social Workers, Rikki has graciously shared his journey as a Social Worker at Interior Health. Breaking down barriers and stigma for stereotypical views of drug users, he works to support and educate others. Rikki is the first to lend a helping hand and support someone in need. Feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction guiding people through systems that can be overwhelming, he feels privileged to earn their trust and hear their stories. Seeing the ripple effect of each positive change in someone's life is very rewarding, especially to know that future generations will be positively impacted. One of his proudest moments at Interior Health is one that brings a smile to his face reading the precious words written by a client's mother. "He was very encouraged and deeply grateful to find his illness so accurately represented. The last write-up on the report brought us both to tears. Thank you for being the caring human being that you are, people like you are so rare. So rare that if you were a butterfly we would have you nicely framed." Born and raised in Leigh-On-Sea, Essex, England, his family relocated continents to Kamloops, where he has lived most of his life and where he is currently raising his own family. Outside of work, you can find Rikki with his pride and joy, his partner Krissy, and his little girl, Ripley. They love to spend most of their time together playing outside kayaking in the summer, or inside playing video games and enjoying a movie, preferably one with Hugh Grant in it. He is looking forward to a time where you can be closer than six feet with family and friends, playing softball, frisbee golf, and just simply enjoying the beautiful outdoors together. In his line of social work, he is hopeful for a future where a safe supply is readily available and accessible. Thank you, Rikki, for all that you do! We appreciate you.  Nominate your colleagues to keep the We Are IH loop going: Name: Gaudenza Ramunno, Nurse, Kamloops Message: Guadenza is amazing. She went back to school in her 40s, after raising four kids. She became a nurse and spent many years with public health as a street nurse. She has pioneered many start-up programs and has been the main fixture on the Kamloops Safe Consumption Site for almost five years. She was awarded Kamloops's mentor of the year and is many people's first call when looking to access flexible, primary nursing care. For more information contact EmployeeExperience@InteriorHealth.ca. Stay updated with careers at Interior Health  @IHJobs  |   @InteriorHealthBC.Careers  |   @InteriorHealthAuthority

Dr. Sean Wachtel admits he was surprised – and unpleasantly so – at what he found when he arrived in Canada to begin practicing medicine a decade ago. After coming from the United Kingdom, he began working in the emergency room at Nelson’s Kootenay Lake Hospital. The last thing he expected was to be confronted by an environment that included discriminatory attitudes about the people he was treating. "When I first came to Canada, I was completely unaware of the racism and discrimination that exists here," he says. "It was an unpleasant surprise to find this is the situation in the country and province I've chosen to move to." Ten years later, Dr. Wachtel finds himself in a position where he can make a real difference in combatting racism in the health-care system. As Interior Health's senior medical director for Aboriginal health, a key part of his role is exploring how a health-care system that embraces and models cultural safety and humility links to improved health outcomes for Aboriginal peoples. The seeds for this opportunity were planted several years ago when Dr. Wachtel was working as a public health specialist with First Nations Health Authority. That’s when he first met Dr. Mike Ertel, vice president of quality and medicine at Interior Health. Dr. Ertel asked him to join the team as part of the organization's journey to address anti-Aboriginal racism. In this role, Dr. Wachtel works across portfolios at the regional and provincial level. Dr. Wachtel is on his own journey and says, "I hope that my Aboriginal patients feel their culture and heritage matter when we discuss treatment -- and they receive the same high standard of care I try to offer all of my patients." I hope my Aboriginal patients feel their culture and heritage matter when we discuss treatment -- and they receive the same high standard of care I try to offer all of my patients. ~ Dr. Sean Wachtel Learn more about Dr. Wachtel on Season 3 Episode 1 of the Interior Voices podcast. Launched in 2019, Interior Voices is an informal, ongoing conversation around cultural safety and Aboriginal health. Now entering its third season, the series has become an important educational resource for our care teams. The podcast also offers a glimpse into the people and programs within Interior Health which support this important area of care. Interested in learning more? Check out these highlights: Interior Voices Season 3 Episode 1: Dr. Sean WachtelVanessa and Dr. Wachtel discuss the importance of Territory Acknowledgements The X-Change Session 3 – Aboriginal Health: A Physicians Journey to Cultural HumilityThe Four Agreements of Courageous ConversationsRacist Like Me — A Call to Self-Reflection and Action for White Physicians