We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories. Name: Donna MaatzWorksite: Swan Valley Lodge, CrestonYears of Service: 25Job Title: Long Term Care Coordinator"A still tongue makes a wise head."- Donna's favourite quote As a dedicated employee of Interior Health for over 25 years, Donna has truly made an impactful difference in many lives. Inspired by her mother, whom she recognizes as her hero and the most amazing nurse in the world, Donna followed closely in her footsteps. Her mother was a strong advocate for the intellectually delayed, inspiring Donna's career path to her current role as Long Term Service Coordinator at Swan Valley Lodge in Creston. As an extremely caring and giving person, Donna takes pride in working in her hometown of Creston and giving to others in her tight-knit community. Over the past 28 years as a nurse, Donna has lived through many health-care crises, including Anthrax, Ebola, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. She expresses how challenging it has been working in long-term care amidst a pandemic, and sends her gratitude to all other health-care employees, from housekeeping, dietary, administration, nurses, physicians, care aides, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, porters, x-ray, ultrasound, imaging, lab, infection control, and all of the other incredible people who have been working around the clock to keep their communities safe. Growing up on the ancestral territory of Ktunaxa Nation, nestled in the mountains of the Kootenay region, Donna is very close with her family. Her love of the outdoors extends past her love of swimming in the Kootenay Lake and Duck Lake to hiking, skating, sledding, camping, and fishing. Raising her family in her hometown has been so rewarding with a bit of chaos. They lead a busy and fulfilling life, as between she and her partner, they have seven children, 23 grandchildren, many chickens, and pigs. Blessed with fertile growing land, Donna's passion for gardening yields tons of fruits and vegetables that can be enjoyed throughout the winter season. Donna is looking forward to spending quality time with her friends and family when the pandemic is over. She keeps busy caring for her family, animals, and continuing renovations on her home. Her giving nature will continue to inspire her co-workers and community to help one another. Over the course of her successful career, she has shown so much compassion and dedication to Interior Health and her community. We are forever grateful for her long-term service and commitment that has positively impacted so many people. Thank you for all that you do, Donna! Donna's nomination keeps the We Are IH loop going: "Kendra, Manager of Swan Valley Lodge is one of the most compassionate leaders I have ever met! She is dedicated to staff and residents. She makes me want to come to work each day." Stay updated with careers at Interior Health Facebook: Interior Health  |   Instagram: interiorhealthbc |   LinkedIn: Interior Health Authority

"Trail blazer" is an apt way to describe a physician who has travelled to every corner of the Interior Health region and beyond to spread the word about effective but largely under-prescribed medications to treat Alcohol Use Disorder. He has provided close to 150 educational presentations across B.C. On March 10, 2021 Penticton-based physician Dr. Jeff Harries was honoured with the inaugural Primary Care and Substance Use Trailblazer Award from the BC Centre for Substance Use. Not only is Dr. Harries the inaugural recipient of the new award, he is the inspiration behind it. "It's such a tremendous honour to be able to recognize Dr. Jeff Harries for his many, many contributions," says Cheyenne Johnson, executive director of the BC Centre for Substance Use. "His tireless leadership as a health advocate and his unwavering commitment to improving how we treat people with alcohol use disorder has inspired colleagues and impacted the lives of countless people. We thank him from the bottom of our hearts.” Interior Health Addictions Medicine Lead Dr. Leslie Lappalainen described how three words came to mind for her: humility, conviction, and the ability to inspire. "Doing 150 talks across B.C. is amazing," she said. Dr. Harries has now retired from practice but continues to provide inspiration and guidance in Alcohol Use Disorder treatment. In 2020 he helped establish the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society. To learn more about his work, check out the video.

We are IH is a recognition campaign to spotlight Interior Health employees and medical staff – through pictures and stories. Name: Penny Liao-Lussier Worksite: Kelowna Community Health Centre Years of Service: 13 Job Title: Manager of Healthy Start Healthy Schools (Maternal Child & Youth Health Program), Population Health Services "Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others"- John Maxwell Caring, kind, compassionate, and authentic are just a few words Penny's co-workers would use to describe her. As a leader, Penny has the rare ability to lead with both her head and her heart. You can see Penny's passion for helping others as she advocates for the clients her programs serve as well as the staff working under her. As the Manager of Healthy Start Healthy Schools of Population Health Services for the past five years at the Kelowna Community Health Centre, and over 13 years at IH, she has positively impacted the lives of so many and brought valuable knowledge to those around her. Penny's leadership style of collaboration creates a positive teamwork dynamic that makes people feel valued and respected. Leading by example, she encourages others to show up authentically, practice empathy, and advocate for those they serve. Her unwavering commitment to all children, especially the vulnerable, is evident in all of her work. Inspired by her team, she expresses her gratitude for the privilege to work with a group of passionate and motivated nurses and administrative staff who are dedicated to achieving a vision while fulfilling a purpose to advocate for, support, and empower the maternal child and youth population. One of Penny's proudest moments at Interior Health was working on the pilot program for the high- and low-acuity patient transport communication centre in British Columbia. As the former manager, Penny showed 'proof of concept' and a operational strategy to ensure patient care and efficient transport services across Interior Health while simultaneously recruiting, training and leading a newly formed multi-disciplinary health-care team to run the Patient Transport Office. She was recognized in 2010 for all of her hard work with the IH Award of Excellence in "Ensuring Sustainable, Affordable Health Care" for the Patient Transport Office. Thank you for all that you do, Penny! Born in Kowloon, Hong Kong, shortly thereafter her family immigrated to Burnaby, where she was raised. At a young age, Penny knew she wanted to pursue the nursing profession. She was inspired by the opportunity to help others holistically by caring for the whole person, including their physical, intellectual and social needs. In her role, she feels a sense of pride and reward as she is able to plan strategically to make a positive impactful difference in the lives of the maternal-child and youth population. Relocating from Burnaby in 2008 to the interior with her husband, they are currently raising two beautiful little girls, Tianna, age 5, and Izabella, age 2. When Penny isn't working, you can find her playing co-ed recreational volleyball, shopping, or exploring the beautiful outdoors hiking with her family. She is looking forward to a future where her family can travel to experience different cultures, history, architecture, and languages from other parts of the world. She is dreaming of the huge smiles and loud squeals of excitement from her little girls as they experience Disney World at Christmas for the first time. Always up for an experience, when Penny was six months pregnant they temporarily moved out of their home for three months while they filmed the reality TV show, Love It or List It, Vancouver on the HGTV Network. The surreal experience concluded with the big reveal, moving back into their home, and 11 days later, welcoming their daughter, Izabella, to the world. Watch their big reveal here. Fans loved them so much they were cast again to film a Shaw Cable Blue Curve Internet Campaign as a follow up to Love It or List It, Vancouver.   Penny and Robert on the set of Love It or List It Vancouver with Co-Host, Jillian HarrisPenny's nomination keeps the We Are IH loop going: "I would like to nominate the Healthy Start Healthy Schools Team, Population Health Services, CMHO portfolio as this is a small team of nine (nurses and admin staff) who are the epitome of 'unsung heroes' in the organization. They do not receive the high profile, attention, and recognition like other programs in IH despite having been redeployed to other programs (due to their expertise and skills as Population Health specialists and administration) to support the COVID-19 pandemic response. "Throughout the pandemic, the Healthy Start Healthy Schools Team has continued to develop policy and guidelines to help inform public health nursing practice, created new communication mechanisms for external partners from the education sector to receive timely support and direction for their schools, and enhanced clinical support and services for newly parenting families and the most vulnerable, socioeconomically disadvantaged families in the region." - Penny Liao-Lussier   Stay updated with careers at Interior Health Facebook: @IHJobs  |   Instagram: @InteriorHealthBC.Careers  |   LinkedIn: @InteriorHealthAuthority   Explore a Career at IH    

Are you feeling overwhelmed when looking for food and nutrition information on the internet? Ask yourself these 7 questions to find reliable information on healthy eating online. Is there a promise of a quick fix? If a diet or product sounds too good to be true, then it likely is. Making changes in your habits means a long-term commitment to healthy eating and physical activity.Is information based on personal stories or testimonials? It may be nice to hear a success story from a celebrity or friend, but it's not proof that something works or is true. Nutrition advice should be based on the best available research. Is the advice based on a single study? More research that shows the same results, makes the advice more trustworthy. Also, look for studies that include large numbers of people and longer durations. What are the qualifications of the writer? You wouldn’t ask a celebrity how to design a bridge, you’d ask an engineer. The same thinking should apply to nutrition advice. Check the website section “about us” to find out more about the people or company responsible for the website.Does the advice include buying special products or replacing foods with supplements? Food is the best source of nutrients. Special products and supplements are usually not needed to improve your health.Does the advice emphasize a single food or nutrient? Current food and nutrition evidence shows greater health benefits from eating a variety of nutritious whole foods rather than focusing on single foods or nutrients.Is the information on the website current? Reliable websites will include the date of when a webpage was written and are regularly updated to reflect the most current nutrition information and advice available.Get free trusted advice from a Dietitian by calling 📞 8-1-1 or contact a Dietitian online on www.healthlinkbc.ca/dietitian (anywhere in BC). Interpreters are available in over 130 languages. Check out these sources of reliable healthy eating information: Canada's Food GuideBC’s Healthy Eating ResourcesUnlockfood – Dietitians of CanadaCookspiration – Meal Plans & RecipesThis information was adapted from HealthLinkBC. Dietitian Services at HealthLinkBC (formerly Dial-A-Dietitian), provide free nutrition information and resources for BC residents and health professionals. Go to Healthy Eating or call 8-1-1 (anywhere in BC). Interpreters are available in over 130 languages.

The natural assumption about the role of a dietitian is that this person is going to help you create a healthy eating plan. It's true - registered dietitians are the trusted source for healthy eating. The more than 10,000 registered dietitians in Canada undergo comprehensive training, and are held accountable to the highest standards of education and ethics, which means they look beyond fads and gimmicks to deliver reliable health advice to individuals, groups and communities. But the work of dietitians goes so much farther. Many work in health-care settings like hospitals, long-term care homes, community health centres, or in private practice. Many more work in public health, government, education and research. Whether working with other health-care professionals, doing scientific research, informing public policy, or working with patients and communities, the impact of dietitians is far and wide. We sat down with two registered dietitians to learn more about their roles. Meet Linda Boyd, a Population Health Dietitian who works in the community, and Holly Heximer, a Clinical Dietitian who works in a hospital setting. Why did you become a registered dietitian and what are you most passionate about in your work?   Dietitian Linda Boyd. Linda - I knew I wanted to work in a health-related field where I could make a positive impact on people’s lives. I was interested in the psychology of eating, but I now realize that WHAT and HOW people eat is influenced by a wide range of factors over which people often have little control. I would say that over the years I have been most passionate about seeing infants and children get a healthy start to life and develop lifelong healthy eating habits through optimal feeding practices and healthy settings. Helping to support healthy eating environments and food literacy in child care facilities has been an especially rewarding area of my work. My first job as a dietitian was coordinating a pregnancy outreach program and I feel this experience strongly influenced my career path to be in the area of community nutrition and early years. Holly - Initially I wanted to become a sports dietitian after being involved in competitive sports and working with a dietitian. However, after shadowing a clinical dietitian while in high school I knew the hospital was where I wanted to work. Dietetics is the perfect combination of science and working with people. One of the favourite parts of my job is educating adults and kids going home on specialized tube feeds. A feeding tube is a medical device used to provide nutrition to people who can’t obtain nutrition by mouth, are unable to swallow safely, or need nutritional supplementation. There is a lot of information and teaching required so I get to know my patients and their loved ones throughout the process. I am able to personalize these plans to fit their schedules and needs. What is your role as a dietitian?Linda - Overall, our program aims to increase healthy eating for the entire population. We often use approaches like policy development and systems change as a way to influence a large sector of the population. For example, a healthy food policy for a school district has the potential to influence thousands of students. We also provide nutrition resources and training to support schools, daycares and health professionals to increase healthy eating within their settings or roles. A large focus area of our work with communities is food security and food systems. We offer health evidence and resources, and support collaboration among community partners and local governments to address priorities in these areas Holly - Dietitians have a very large scope and do more than just prescribe a diet. My workday can include problem solving infant feeding challenges, teaching diet education to a child with newly diagnosed diabetes, counselling patients living with eating disorders, or creating a specialized feeding plan for an adult struggling with swallowing. Every day is different! What do you think would make the most impact for improving the health and wellbeing of our communities? Linda – This is influenced by so many factors. At the most basic level, everyone needs to have their food needs met. We know that people living in poverty and experiencing food insecurity are much more likely to suffer poor physical and mental health. Being able to afford and access enough healthy food and being able to choose how you access food is essential for health and wellbeing. Decreasing food insecurity rates requires lifting people out of poverty. Living in environments where the healthy choice is the easy choice and knowing how to prepare food are also important. I feel that with the necessary support and resources, there is great potential for schools to help set up our next generation with the attitudes and skills needed to support healthy eating through actions like healthy meal programs, healthy fundraisers, and integrating hands-on food skills into the school curriculum. How can a dietitian help me with healthy eating? Holly – There are many ways that a dietitian can help you. One way to get started is to think critically about diet culture messaging! There is a lot of false and misleading information out there about nutrition and diet and so be sure to always question the source. We take an “all foods can fit” approach to healthy eating that is sustainable for the long term. A dietitian can help navigate this. Learn more about what dietitians do: Speak to a dietitian directly by calling 8-1-1 https://www.dietitians.ca/About/Learn-About-Dietitianshttps://www.dietitians.ca/Become-a-Dietitian/Education-and-Traininghttps://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthy-eating/everyone/dietitian-services-healthlink-bc

Delirium is increasingly common as you get older, and occurs more often than most people believe. In fact, among older people, delirium affects approximately 50 per cent of those admitted to hospital, and more than 80 per cent of those in intensive care. Between 15-70 per cent of individuals living in long-term care homes are also affected. Delirium is considered by many experts to be a medical emergency. It is signalled by a rapid change in brain function, which primarily affects the ability to focus attention. It can fluctuate over the course of a day, with periods of lucidity followed by increased confusion. Because individuals may exhibit signs of acute confusion, unusual behaviours and forgetfulness, the disorder is often mistaken as dementia. However, the conditions are fundamentally different. “If an individual’s behaviour has changed and they seem confused, some people initially suspect dementia. However, if symptoms seem to change suddenly during the day but they have periods where they are still behaving as they normally do, you should speak to a medical expert about the possibility of delirium," says Mary Kjorven, a clinical nurse specialist with Interior Health. "Medical professionals are trained to ask a series of screening questions that evaluate an individual’s risk of delirium.” Mary says the overall impacts of delirium can include: Increased mortality Increased dependency Increased functional impairment (short and long term) Increased rates of admission to long-term care homes Longer lengths of stay in hospital It's important to know that delirium is preventable and treatable by addressing the underlying cause. There are several common causes for delirium. These may include sleep deprivation, dehydration, mixing medications, and bowel and bladder issues including constipation. Here are some tips for avoiding delirium: Take care of yourself with proper eating, sleeping, hydration, and physical activity. Ensure your mind stays healthy and active, too, with regular socializing and other activities to stimulate the brain. Check to ensure your eye glasses and hearing aids are working properly, so you are seeing and hearing effectively.  For more information, visit icudelirium.org.

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.