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Interior Health
Inspection found no reason to shut down Valoroso Foods: IHA
KELOWNA - An inspection of Valoroso Foods conducted Friday by the Interior Health Authority did not find any reason to shut the specialty foods store down, despite allegations of product label tampering. “This past Friday... Interior Health conducted an investigation at Valoroso Foods in Kelowna regarding food safety concerns,” IHA communications officer Patrick Gall said...
Interior Health seeks outside laundry service providers
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Interior Health is moving forward with a plan to privatize laundry service in the region. The organization says it is now seeking more information from pre-qualified service providers recently identified. This will allow Interior Health to look at the external options available, something it hopes will help reduce necessary capital costs to upgrade...
Okanagan to get more residential care beds for the elderly
KELOWNA – Two cities in the Okanagan will be getting significantly more care beds for the elderly sometime in the future, according to an Interior Health announcement Tuesday. Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thompson says the beds, which are for seniors with complex care requirements requiring round-the-clock care, will help more than just Okanagan seniors. “These additional...
Three-year art project celebrates breastfeeding
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Interior Health is searching for artists and community members to create pieces for an expo aimed at exploring the topic of breastfeeding through art. Interior Health Project Coordinator Karen Graham says the three-year project called the Breastfeeding Art Expo is in its preliminary stages but the call went out to the entire Interior...
Lack of staffing postpones 55 surgeries at RIH
KAMLOOPS - A total off 55 surgeries have been postponed at Royal Inland Hospital this month as the hospital deals with a shortage in anesthesiologists. Chief of Staff Norm Kienitz says this is actually a small number of surgeries and while it looks like the next couple of months will be okay, recruitment is something...
UPDATE: Ebola tests on patient in Kelowna ‘negative’
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Interior Health has confirmed a patient is in isolation at Kelowna General Hospital while being tested for the Ebola virus. Patrice Gordon, a nurse practitioner with Interior Health, was in Sierra Leone earlier this month to help treat Ebola patients. She returned this week and soon after began showing signs consistent with the...
Good news brightens holidays for Vernon’s Upper Room Mission
VERNON - Christmas came early to the Upper Room Mission with an okay from Interior Health to re-open its kitchen facilities. The kitchen was shut down after flooding damaged the building and contaminated food Dec. 2. The soup kitchen has been serving meals out of the People Place and relying on generous community businesses and...
Free flu clinic postponed due to high demand
SUMMERLAND - Don't roll up your sleeve just yet — a public flu clinic in Summerland will be rescheduled because demand is exceeding supply. Public flu clinics at St. John's Lutheran Church Dec. 4 has been postponed, but a new date and location will not be chosen until additional vaccine is ordered, according to a...
Free flu clinic postponed due to high demand
VERNON - Don't roll up your sleeve just yet — a public flu clinic in Vernon has been rescheduled because demand is exceeding supply. Public flu clinics at the Schubert Centre, 3505 30 Ave. for Dec. 4 and Jan. 8 will instead take place Jan. 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. according to a...
Hospital budget approved, no tax increase for 2015
KAMLOOPS - The hospital board approved the 2015 budget for Royal Inland Hospital and while the budget is $16 million higher than in 2014 it will not impact tax bills next year. The Thompson Regional Hospital District board of directors approved the $34.4 million provisional budget, which is nearly double the 2014 budget. The 2015...
Don’t forget, it’s flu season
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - While the public's attention has been on Ebola and enterovirus D68 recently, Interior Health is preparing for flu season, rolling out influenza vaccines to clinics and phamacies around the region. Dr. Robert Parker says they start getting calls in September but early November is when they typically start offering vaccinations to the general...
Hospital expansion plans become a reality
PENTICTON - The dream of an expansion to the Penticton Regional Hospital is becoming a reality with city planners introducing the groundwork and initial planning stages to council Monday. Tentative structure plans (requested by Interior Health to kickstart the budget process), were shown to council for the first time during the City Council meeting, Oct....
Children can be treated in renovated psychiatry unit at Royal Inland
KAMLOOPS – The Royal Inland Hospital is set to open the recently upgraded psychiatry unit on the pediatric floor within three weeks, and the renovated space will be available to child psychiatry patients from Kamloops and the Thompson, Nicola and Cariboo regions. The $850,000 funding the project came from Interior Health and the Thompson Regional...
Boil water notice issued for Trout Creek
TROUT CREEK - A boil water notice was issued on Wednesday for Trout Creek residents and businesses. It's possible contamination entered the water system on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014, according to Interior Health. Residents should boil water for at least a minute before using it for drinking water, cleaning, or cooking. To contact the reporter...
Interior Health hospitals middle of pack
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - People in the Interior are more likely than other Canadians to drink heavily but they are also more likely to be active, according to recent statistics for the Interior Health Authority that ranked the region in the middle of the pack across the country. A new website compares hospitals, health regions, provinces and...
Boil water notice issued for Summerland
SUMMERLAND - A boil water notice is in effect for Summerland after contaminants entered the district’s water stream during a water treatment process Monday. The notice was issued Monday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. While there was only a small amount of contaminants that entered the system, safety precautions needed to take effect, said Devon Van...
Grant could ease rural patients’ access to health care
KELOWNA – A $20,000 grant from the Canadian Institute of Health Research will help an interdisciplinary team from UBC and Interior Health continue research and development of 'telehealth' communications. The pilot is set to help patients with atrial fibrillation – a common heart condition – in rural areas. “Often the only option for older adults...
Hospital expansion gets approval from province
PENTICTON - Premier Christy Clark announced this morning Penticton will get the hospital tower expansion it has been waiting for. “As Penticton continues to grow, so does the demand on services Penticton families rely on, including the hospital,” Clark said in a press release. The Penticton Regional Hospital Patient Care Tower is bigger than originally...
Boil water notice lifted in Okanagan Falls
OKANAGAN FALLS - The boil water notice issued last week for Okanagan Falls residents has been lifted. The requirement of three clean water samples was given to Interior Health by the Okanagan Falls Irrigation District. The water found to be contaminated with traces of E. Coli last week is now clean and ready to use...
Still no drinkable tap water for Okanagan Falls’ residents
OKANAGAN FALLS - A boil water notice issued last week for Okanagan Falls residents won't be lifted because water samples continue to test positive for E. Coli. The bacteria was found during a routine water sampling last Thursday. Interior Health is asking for three consecutively clean samples of water from the Okanagan Falls Irrigation District...
Contaminated tap water in Okanagan Falls; boil water notice issued
OKANAGAN FALLS - A boil water notice was issued Thursday for Okanagan Falls residents, after water testing results showed traces of E. Coli contamination. Residents are being warned by Okanagan Falls Irrigation District and Interior Health to boil water for one minute before drinking, preparing food, and brushing teeth. Water samples are being sent to...
Measles came across the border: Have you had your shots?
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - If you haven’t had a measles shot yet, you better get on it. Recently, Interior Health confirmed a measles case in Alberta and are recommending everyone have up-to-date immunizations. “So far in Interior Health we have only had one recent measles case, but that can change at any time especially with the increase...
Construction begins on Clinical Services Building
KAMLOOPS - Delegates were on hand at Royal Inland Hospital Friday to mark the beginning of actual construction of the new Clinical Services Building. "Today marks one more step in providing high quality acute care to residents of the Kamloops region and is evidence of our commitment to the full redevelopment of Royal Inland Hospital,"...
Measles kept at bay in Interior
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Saturday marks the beginning of a nation-wide event promoting immunizations and while the latest outbreak of measles has been kept out of the Interior Health region, people are still encouraged to make sure they are up to date. Dr. Sue Pollock says the Interior Health region strives for a 95 per cent coverage...