We Are IH: Helping residents motivates Vernon maintenance worker

March 2, 2023

Maintenance worker Kevin Miskosky in front of Gateby Care Facility.

Name: Kevin Miskosky (he/him/his)
Job Title: Maintenance Worker
Years of Service: 32
Worksite: Gateby Care Facility
Community: Vernon
Ancestral Territory: Syilx Nation
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Do it once, do it right.” - Anonymous

Kevin Miskosky, maintenance worker at Interior Health, has been in B.C. health care for an impressive 32 years. Kevin started at Surrey Memorial Hospital, then moved to Vernon Jubilee Hospital in 1997, and finally to Gateby Care Facility in Vernon in 2009.

A jack-of-all-trades, when asked what keeps him motivated in his job, Kevin responds: “All my moms and dads at Gateby.” The residents are what is most important to Kevin, day in and day out.

In this Story…

Learn more about his journey with IH

Explore trades Careers@IH

Learn more about his journey with IH

A selfie of two people, with a Lindt Orange Intense chocolate bar in the foreground. — Kevin with the resident who gave him a chocolate bar for hanging her artwork.

A moment that stands out for Kevin is the time when a resident asked him to hang a picture for her. “I had a lot on the go but decided to take a quick look. She explained that her son made the picture out of little pieces of tile. It was wrapped in a blanket, and it was around 24 x 30 inches and weighed 30 plus pounds. I couldn't believe the work involved in making it. I could sense the importance to her in her eyes and her voice; I knew I had to install this work of art for her.

“Later on, another worker said [the resident] wanted to see me. I knocked on her door, and when I entered she reached over, handed me a big orange chocolate bar and said ‘Thank you. You are wonderful.’ I said ‘You’re welcome, because you are a queen of diamonds.’ She laughed and said ‘That's what my son calls me.’

“It’s those types of little jobs that might not mean much to us, but to her it meant everything.”

That's what makes me wake up every morning and go to work – knowing another mom, dad, grandma or grandpa needs my help to make them feel a little better.

-- Kevin Miskosky (he/him/his)

A man in an orange shift sitting on an armchair with a toddler and baby in his lap. — Kevin with his grandkids.

Kevin, who considers himself a straight-up guy, has a wife, Christie, three kids and four grandkids, including a brand-new one born in February 2023.

In his free time, Kevin enjoys salmon fishing and hunting. In fact, for 32 years, he’s visited Nootka Island three times a year to go salmon fishing. Camping on the traditional and unceded territory of the Mowachaht Peoples, and learning about and from their history and way of life, is a highlight of the year for Kevin.