Name: Sheena Brown-Bailey(she/her/hers)Job title: HR Business Partnerships AssistantYears of service: 2.5 yearsWorksite: Community Health & Services CentreCommunity: KelownaAncestral territory: SyilxAdvice to live by: Let's not dwell on the problem, let's figure out a solution. Sheena Brown-Bailey has a passion for helping others however she can. She loves working in health care as a project administrative assistant and making a difference. “The continuous strides we are making in health care enhance the lives of those in our communities,” she says. “It make me extremely proud to be a part of it.” Born and raised on the beautiful Island of Jamaica, Sheena says it really is as pretty as it looks. Although she is quick to volunteer and lend a hand, it may surprise you to learn that she is actually quite introverted. She also prides herself on being very resilient. “I see obstacles as new opportunities and lessons to be learned.” Sheena and her daughterRecently, Sheena has started camping and has fallen in love with the simple pleasures that it brings. She also enjoys a good hike. She looks forward to spending more quality time with family and friends. “This pandemic has reminded me of what matters most in life, which is those solid relationships and bonds with those we love the most. Treasure every moment and make memories!” There are a variety of administrative career opportunities at IH. Check out our job postings!  Sheila nominates Ann-Marie Cooper, Nursing Assistant, to keep We Are IH going: “Ann-Marie is such a great team player. She goes beyond for her clients.” -Sheena Brown-Bailey     

When we think of heart attack symptoms it's easy to remember the “Hollywood heart attack,” where a person stops in their tracks and suddenly clutches their chest because of an overwhelming pain. But it might surprise you to learn that this is rarely what a heart attack looks like for older adults. Instead of severe chest pain, shortness of breath and nausea, many seniors show no signs or symptoms, or signs that might seem unrelated to what we expect.  Reasons for this include age-related changes in the body and brain, and the presence of other chronic conditions or illness  interactions of chronic conditions with acute illnesses and under-reporting of symptoms. Signs of a heart attack in an older adult might include mild or no chest pain, confusion, weakness or dizziness. In many cases, new confusion (delirium) may be the first sign.  Because the signs of a heart attack are different for seniors, delirium is just as much a medical emergency as chest pain.   Take a minute to learn about delirium and how to recognize and respond to it. 

Dr. Christine Voss has received a 2021 Scholar Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) in partnership with Interior Health (IH) and the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management (CCDPM). The CCDPM has partnered with IH and the MSFHR, as part of a new funding venture, to help advance clinical health science collaborations between IH and UBC Okanagan. Dr. Voss’s work will focus on physical activity and the clinical management of chronic diseases in children living in rural and remote communities across the Interior Health region. “The award allows me to pursue excellence in all aspects of my clinical research endeavors, ranging from partnership building with clinicians and patients, to training the next generation of health researchers,” says Voss, assistant professor with the UBC Department of Pediatrics and investigator with the CCDPM. “I am thrilled to receive a MSFHR Scholar Award and to partner with Interior Health for my clinical research going forward.” The MSFHR Scholar Program supports early career researchers to establish independent research careers, develop research teams, and advance cutting-edge health solutions. “Interior Health is extremely pleased to be a partner in funding for Dr. Christine Voss,” says Dr. Devin Harris, Medical Director, Quality, Patient Safety and Research, Interior Health. “In partnership with IH physicians and staff, her research will impact health and wellness for children and families in our region, and strengthen our research collaboration with the Southern Medical Program. Congratulations to Dr. Voss on this award for her achievements in research to advance health care.” Voss and her research team will examine current practices and attitudes towards physical activity promotion and ultimately develop and implement new approaches to help children with chronic conditions lead more active lives. This story was originally shared through Southern Medical Program News.

Ellen had never really spoken with anyone about her alcohol use. She credits the day treatment program for providing the safe place she needed to begin sharing, where she realized that she wasn’t alone.

Sheila West has worked as a Patient Ambassador at Gillis House in Merritt for the last six months, but her history with the long-term care facility reaches back much further.  She started at Gillis House as a cook three-and-a-half years ago, and both her father and mother spent their final years there.  “I truly enjoy interacting with the residents and their visitors,” says Sheila. “And I love bringing a smile to their faces whenever I can.” Some of her fondest memories are the reactions from residents to the personal touch she gave to meals and special occasion teas.  “I always keep busy and do my job to the best of my ability as well as helping others whenever I can.” Sheila stays active outside of her work life, too. She loves to go metal detecting and magnet fishing and enjoys sewing and baking. She is looking forward to retiring someday, but says, “not too soon as I love my job!” Proud parents of three, grandparents to 11 and great grandparents to three, Sheila and her husband just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in March. We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories. Name: Sheila Anne West Job Title: Patient Ambassador Years of Service: 3.5 Worksite: Gillis House Community: Merritt Ancestral Territory: Syilx Favourite Quote: Treat everyone with respect and kindness.   Sheila’s nomination of Patricia (Patty) Ironstand keeps the We Are IH loop going:  “Patty is calm and professional in all situations and never hesitates to step in to help others if needed.” - Sheila West      Stay updated with careers at Interior Health Facebook  |   Instagram  |   LinkedIn

“Positive body image isn’t believing your body LOOKS good. It’s knowing that it IS good, regardless of how it looks.” – Dr. Lindsay Kite     University of British Columbia doctorate student Kaylee Misener is an expert in positive body image. Her research focuses on clarifying what it means to have a positive body image, and how to get it.   5 tips to a positive body image   Appreciate how well your body functions for you. Body weight, shape and size are separate from your body image.    Keep good company – surround yourself with body positive people and influences.    What are you giving up? What would you rather be doing than feeling bad about your body? Focus on enjoyment, movement and functionality.   Self-compassion is a skill – be your own best friend and champion.    Self-compassion is self-kindness + common humanity + mindfulness, which helps us stay in the moment without evaluation.   Interested in learning more? Check out the video. 

As a kid growing up in Ontario, Tarryl Hartling had a dream of living and working in the country. She chased her dream, first to Whitehorse and onto Kamloops before accepting a position to work at the Chase Health Centre. The people and the community grounded her. Fourteen years later, she continues to work at the health centre as a registered technologist of radiology.     “I live in Chase and I'm invested in the people who live there, because I know them on a personal level,” ~ Tarryl           “Everyone at the health centre works together well. Our end game is always the patients’ best interest and making sure they have the treatment they need."   If that need is an X-ray, patients will now receive it directly in Chase, in a newly renovated radiology room featuring a state-of-the-art machine that began serving patients on Jan. 31, 2022. The $620,000 investment means people won't have to travel to another community for the service. The renovated radiology room also provides an improved patient experience for those needing an X-ray. The project also benefitted the entire health centre, as it required a full electrical upgrade to the building during the installation of the machine. This included a dedicated power supply to the ambulance bay for BC Emergency Health Services personnel. The project was funded by Interior Health, but the nearby Chase and District Health Services Foundation had offered to raise money for the important purchase. As part of the project, and with the support of the Foundation, the radiology room had a complete makeover with new walls, paint and flooring as well as the addition of a power generator room and a new, ergonomically safe office. “The community support from the Chase Foundation is amazing,” says Cathy Thibault, a now-retired Interior Health manager who supported the Chase Health Centre. “They were willing to ask, ‘how much this would cost?’ and ‘could they be part of the fundraising?’ We couldn’t do what we do without all of our partners." It’s an example of an all-hands-on-deck approach at the Chase Health Centre that is echoed throughout the small community of some 3,000 people. Here, the people work together to support patients and their community.         Photo above: Registered technologist of radiology Tarryl Hartling with a new X-ray machine at the Chase Health Centre.   

Photo by Billie Jean Gabriel     Chris Bose’s artistic fingerprints are all over Kamloops.     Take a stroll and you will likely run into one of his murals. Maybe it’s the one at the Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society … or the one behind Immigrant Services … or the one at the Interior Health building downtown.  The Secwépemc and Nlaka’pamux artist, who calls Kamloops home, has been working with youth, adults and elders in Kamloops and across the country on community art projects for the past 15 years. But he’s never done an art project in a hospital.  Until now.  Chris has been contracted by the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation and Interior Health to lead an art project that represents the Aboriginal communities served by the hospital.  “I’m thrilled to be given this responsibility, to bring together so many different cultures into one artistic representation,” he says.       “There is incredible artwork represented in all of the Nations in this area. To have art that represents our people in the hospital, it means a lot. To be able to show the culture of the different Nations and help make the hospital more welcoming to our people, that is our goal.”                 Royal Inland Hospital is located on the traditional territory of the Secwépemc Nation, one of seven First Nations that first inhabited the region served by Interior Health. The Dãkelh Dené, Tsilhqot’in, Northern St’at’imc, Nlaka’pamux and Syilx Nations also have communities that rely on the hospital, as do the Métis Nation and Inuit Peoples. All will be represented on the RIH Cultural Wall.    “This is an inclusive process and touching base with the different Nations has been positive,” says Chris. “All of our communities are going through so much right now with the different emergencies and the heavy news about the residential schools. It’s just a tough time. I’m hoping this project can be a positive and help bring us together.” Bose is connecting with members of each Nation, searching out culture and art, and looking for common themes as he begins the collaborative process of bringing several artistic elements into one final design. “It’s such a beautiful and unique area and there are many different Indigenous communities that make us who we are. There is such beautiful art representing each Nation, such different styles. For the cultural wall we are working to create one innovative work of art,” said Chris. The project is a collaboration between the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, the Secwépemc Health Caucus, the Two Rivers Métis Society, the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation and Interior Health. “I became interested in this project because I love working on community-based art projects, murals, exhibitions, workshops, you name it!” he says. “Plus to have a permanent home in a care facility is even more amazing because I hope it’ll be a place of inspiration, of representation, of acknowledging we’re here and we’re honouring the past, present and future.”  The cultural wall will be located in the new nine-storey Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Tower in Kamloops, due to open in July 2022. The tower will have other pieces of art including representations of spirit animals on each of the floors, as selected by Secwépemc elders.  Certain patient rooms will also be able to host a smudging ceremony, if requested, for patients and families. The patient care tower was designed with input from front-line health-care professionals to be elder and patient friendly and welcoming to people of all cultures and backgrounds. It will feature single-patient rooms throughout, new operating rooms, dedicated mental health and substance use space, obstetrics services and more. Once it opens to the public, work will begin on a major renovation to the emergency department and other areas of the hospital.        

After fifteen years in working in the travel industry, Maureen felt is was time for a career change. She returned to college in 2002 to take Health Information Management.  She completed her student practicum at Vernon Jubilee Hospital and has been with IH for 17 years now.        “During my practicum, I was offered a position in Health Information Management, so my husband and I packed our two cats and moved from New Westminster to Vernon.”         Through the course of her Interior Health career, Maureen has been involved in many projects, providing information crucial to the team.        “When the Polson Tower at Vernon Jubilee Hospital opened, I was on site opening day to solve problems and witness the culmination of five years of data support and planning – it was very exciting.”       Maureen is inspired knowing that the information she contributes helps to inform decision-making for the many programs and projects that Interior Health offers, which then make a genuine difference in people's lives.           Maureen was born in Mission, B.C. and grew up on a dairy farm east of Mission. Though she remembers that time fondly, she loves living in the Okanagan with its four seasons and easy access to the outdoors.     “I’m outdoorsy and love being in nature, whether that's hiking, trail running or cycling. I also love traveling to new and far-off places. I'm looking forward to the time when international travel will be safer and my husband and I can go on the cycling trip to Spain that we cancelled at the start of the pandemic.”         You can learn more about Maureen’s lifestyle on the ActiVernon YouTube channel, where she is know as Adventure Girl!         To keep the We Are IH loop going, Maureen nominates Cory Bendall “I would like to nominate Cory Bendall. I've had the pleasure of working with Cory for several years providing information on Strokes in Interior Health. She is so incredibly passionate about improving stroke care and outcomes for people who experience a stroke.” - Maureen Mol     We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories.     Name: Maureen Mol Job Title:  Lead, Data Analytics - Acute Years of Service: 17 Worksite: Community Health & Services Centre Community: Kelowna Ancestral Territory: Sylix Nation, Okanagan Interior Salish Advice to live by: When you have a problem to solve, taking some time to go for a walk and think though the possibilities always helps.     Stay updated with careers at Interior Health Facebook  |   Instagram  |   LinkedIn