hospital

Vernon Light a Bulb campaign exceeds goal

VERNON - Holiday cheer is being felt at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. The 28th annual Light a Bulb Campaign has reached its $200,000 goal, the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Association announced in a media release this week. “Support for the hospital is always very strong,” campaign chair Marg Bailey said, “But this year’s Light a Bulb campaign...

Construction worker remains in critical condition after 20-foot fall

KAMLOOPS - A construction worker remains in the intensive care unit at Royal Inland Hospital following a 20-foot fall at a local worksite. The 45-year-old man from Vancouver was working on a construction project in the 1800-block of Highway 5A on Nov. 25 when he fell from a scissor lift to the concrete floor. Staff...

Local family donates $250K to Penticton hospital expansion

PENTICTON - A local family is giving back to the community through a large donation that will help provide new equipment for the Penticton Regional Hospital expansion. Anthony and Joan Vant Geloof of Starline Enterprises announced a $250,000 donation to help provide the new patient care tower with medical equipment. The couple has supported the...

Dirt biker near Salmon Arm hit trying to cross highway

TAPPEN - A dirt biker is in hospital with severe injuries after he was hit by oncoming traffic while trying to cross the Trans-Canada Highway Nov. 21, police say. Staff Sgt. Scott West of Salmon Arm RCMP says in a media release investigators believe the man riding the bike didn't stop before crossing near Bolton...

When one of the best places to eat in town is the hospital

VERNON - Like airline fare, hospital food has a certain stereotype associated with it, but in Vernon and across the Interior, those perceptions are changing one home-cooked meal at a time. The meatloaf, for example, is just like mom used to make it, says Interior Health Authority food production manager Ron Eichberger of his favourite...

Malicious honk from passing driver sends Vernon horseback rider to hospital

VERNON – A competitive show jumper was seriously injured by the thoughtless and dangerous actions of an unknown motorist near Armstrong this week. Kristen Marie Pym, 20, was out for a relaxing ride on her seven-year-old black and white mare Lilly on a warm, early fall evening Sept. 30. Pym was riding Lilly in a...

$2-million pharmacy project at Vernon Jubilee Hospital a wrap

VERNON - Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s old emergency department has been transformed. Left empty after the emergency department moved to the Polson Tower in 2011, the space was renovated to house the hospital’s pharmacy. Those renovations, which began in early 2014, are now complete, and the new pharmacy — previously located in the basement — becomes...

Mom raises $14K for Cuddle Cots across Thompson-Okanagan

WEST KELOWNA – What started as an idea to bring to Kelowna General Hospital a device which gives parents of stillborn children a few extra days with their child will now help families across the entire Thompson-Okanagan. In less than three months West Kelowna resident Kristin Esmail has raised enough money to buy four Cuddle...

Mom trying to give parents of stillborn babies a few extra days together

WEST KELOWNA – Kristin Esmail and her husband didn’t find out until she was in labour their son, Richard James, was stillborn. After 39 weeks in utero, finding out that they would not be able to take him home was almost too much pain to bear. “It was such a shock,” the West Kelowna resident...

Emergency service in Ashcroft only available on weekends

ASHCROFT - The emergency room in the Village of Ashcroft will only be open on weekends as the Interior Health Authority continues its employment search for doctors. The services sustained a series of cuts after the village’s second doctor quit, leaving it to reduced emergency hours throughout the week. Now the service is only available from...

Traffic halted on Highway 6 for air ambulance landing

VERNON - Highway 6 was shut down and used as a landing strip for B.C. Air Ambulance over the weekend. The aircraft was picking up a 60-year-old man from Edmonton who hit a deer while riding his BMW bike along Highway 6 near Angel Falls (close to the Needles Ferry) around 3:10 p.m. Saturday, May...