Recent Stories
5 Minute Read
Health & Wellness
If there’s one lesson to take away from the toxic drug crisis – now sometimes referred to as the unregulated drug poisoning emergency – it’s that things are not always what they may appear.
Despite what we might believe about who uses substances and why, or what we see in our communities or in the media, consider these stats from the BC Coroners Service:
In 2023, 81 per cent of unregulated drug deaths occurred inside
Poisonous drugs are now the second leading cause of all deaths after malignant cancers
In B.C., 1,455 people have lost their lives to unregulated substances in the first seven months of 2023 – more than six people per day. Within the Interior 253 people lost their lives in the same time period, up from 226 in the same period in 2022.
People who use substances are your friends, neighbours and colleagues. Perhaps a family member is using substances, but hasn’t shared this, due to fear and shame.
One of the main challenges we face when addressing this public health emergency is the stigma associated with drug and substance use.
3 Minute Read
Community & Culture
Name: Elaine Prud’homme (she/her/hers)Job Title: Youth Substance Use Connections DASW (Discipline Allied with Social Work)Years of Service: 10Worksite: Rocky Mountain Lodge MHSU (Mental Health and Substance Use)Community: CranbrookAncestral Territory: KtunaxaFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: Let go, let God. Keep it simple. One day at a time.
For Elaine Prud’homme, being a positive role model for her children, and creating positive outcomes for people in her community makes life worth living.
3 Minute Read
Community & Culture
Name: Stephanie Guss (she/her/hers)Job Title: Rehabilitation AssistantYears of Service: 11Worksite: Kelowna General HospitalCommunity: KelownaAncestral Territory: SyilxFavourite Quote / Advice to live by: I try to live with the mindset to always be nice to others because you don't know what kind of battles they are dealing with.
Meet Stephanie Guss, our optimistic and energetic rehabilitation assistant who is passionate about people and animals, staying active, and helping patients progress!
Born in the very place that she works, Stephanie is based at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) and was raised in West Kelowna before making the move back across the bridge to Kelowna several years ago.
4 Minute Read
Community & Culture
Gord Portman walks down the gravel path in Penticton’s Marina Way Beach Park towards the waterfront. It’s a hot, muggy day, and people dot the adjacent beach despite the wildfire smoke that has rolled in.
“When I was homeless for 17 years, this was one of my favourite spots,” says Gord, pointing to a large, flat rock at the water’s edge. “I slept on this rock for three years. I used to come here to mourn loved ones I had lost to drugs, and to hide from my community and family.”
2 Minute Read
Community & Culture
When Dallas had her son eight years ago, she quickly realized she had more milk than she her son needed to thrive.
“I knew there were babies who could really benefit from my donated breast milk,” says Dallas, a public health nurse at Interior Health. “I have donated more than 20 litres of expressed breast milk to the milk bank. I got the idea from my own mom, who also donated when I was born prematurely at BC Women’s Hospital in 1985.
"The concept and use of donor milk has been around for a very long time, and has shown to be such a huge part in health and growth of our tiniest, most fragile patients."
When a baby is born prematurely or is sick, or when a mother’s milk isn’t available, pasteurized donor breast milk is the next best thing. While milk from a baby’s mother is always the first choice, donor breast milk contains the same antibodies that protect a baby from disease and infection.
2 Minute Read
Community & Culture
Name: Tracy McKelvey (she/her/hers)Job Title: MHSU Administrative Support ClerkYears of Service: 15Worksite: Outpatient Psychiatry, Penticton Mental HealthCommunity: PentictonAncestral Territory: Syilx Nation Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Focus on the positives in life!
Tracy McKelvey works for Interior Health as a Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) administrative support clerk in outpatient psychiatry at Penticton Regional Hospital. Born in the lower mainland of B.C., Tracy was raised in Summerland from the age of three. She describes herself as introverted, intuitive and an animal lover.
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