A publication for Staff and Physicians of IH

Transcription

1 A publication for Staff and Physicians of IH

2 A message from Chris Mazurkewich, Interior Health s CEO. IH s 2017 Drinking Water Report is a foundation for improvement. IH s hemodialysis patients benefit from new foot care program. Collaborative clinic marks two years of care. New clinic helps East Kootenay respiratory patients breathe easier. Collaborative effort to meet violence prevention targets. Saluting staff who were recognized with BC Health Care Awards for Introducing the Ktunaxa Nation, the last of eight Nation profiles. Staff-submitted photos of places where we live and work. Snapshots of our staff in action and trending health-care videos. On the cover: Staff and physicians step up to help evacuees. See p. 24.

3 magazine is a monthly publication created by the Communications Department of Interior Health. Past issues can be found on our website under About Us/Media Centre/Publications & Newsletters. If you have story ideas for future issues, please IHAcommunications@interiorhealth.ca Editors: Amanda Fisher, Ingeborg Keyser Designer: Kara Visinski IH Communications Contributors: Lesley Coates, Susan Duncan, Patrick Gall, Karl Hardt, Erin Toews, Breanna Traynor, Tracy Watson Every person matters

4 T his summer, one of our bigger nightmares is occurring with numerous wildfires burning within Interior Health boundaries and creating an unprecedented crisis situation for our staff, physicians, and services. Over a span of eight days in mid-july, IH teams were called upon to evacuate 14 facilities in six communities, including hospitals, residential care, and assisted living sites. That s a simple sentence, but, in reality, the logistics were enormous. It meant finding available beds in other communities and connecting each resident to the right level of service, identifying safe transportation routes and appropriate vehicles for transport, and relocating staff and supplies to support the receiving sites. On top of this, many of our employees and physicians were themselves facing evacuation orders and had to attend to getting their families and possessions out of the fire line. This created a challenge with maintaining staffing levels at sites during the moves. In many cases, these folks took care of those personal needs and returned to the job. Others worked through the evacuation notices, separated from their children and spouses. President & CEO Chris Mazurkewich and each other because the worst may not yet be over. The ramifications of this disaster will likely be felt for many months and even years by the people directly touched. Our health programs will be relied upon more than ever. The full impact on our First Nations partners in the Cariboo is not known. Several communities were evacuated and many community members lost their homes. Our Aboriginal Health team continues to work with the First Nations Health Authority and individual Nation leaders to connect people to the right health services. Over the past 10 years, Interior Health has developed a close working relationship with seven First Nations and the Metis Nation of B.C. Our goal is to improve health outcomes for Indigenous people and this will be even more important as we all recover from the wildfires. Over the past 16 has featured an eight-part series on First Nations within IH. It wraps up with a look at the Ktunaxa Nation in the East Kootenay, page 20. As a side note, our first letter of understanding was with the Ktunaxa and together we have achieved many successes toward building better health outcomes for the community. The wildfires also bring home the importance of health protection and our drinking water systems. Another story in this edition looks at the report from the Office of the Medical Health Officer on the assessment of drinking water systems and public health risks. As I wrote to all staff in a July 8 memo just after the wildfires erupted, the level of the professionalism that was shown and continues to this day is remarkable. As well as people stepping up to help move patients, on the other end were all the places opening up their doors to take displaced people. Those included our own facilities in Merritt, Kamloops, Salmon Arm, Revelstoke, as well as in Quesnel and Prince George thanks to the generosity of our Northern Health colleagues. Overlander Residential Care was among the first to offer a bed not surprising for a care home that just celebrated its 40th anniversary. (We salute Overlander in our Clicks section.) I want to extend to you my great appreciation for all that you have done to date and encourage you to take care of yourself The burden of responsibility to keep people safe really hits home when you consider that IH regulates more than 1,900 water systems and that, at any given time, of these systems are on some type of water quality advisory. You can read more about this topic on page 7 or by checking out the full report, Drinking Water in Interior Health. For many people, it will be difficult to focus on anything but the summer heat and the threat these fires have posed, but it is also important to remember that our day-to-day work goes on and we must be there for our patients, regardless of their individual situation. Take a break from your stresses of today and read about what is happening in other parts of IH and the good work of so many colleagues. Once again, I thank you for going above and beyond.

5

6

7 TESTED W TERS T here are few things more refreshing on a hot summer s day than a cool glass of drinking water. Well, a few other cold beverages might also do the trick, but this is about something much more important. Did you know that this summer, not everyone will be able to safely gulp down a glass of tap water? Yes, it s 2017, and we have all sorts of technology and innovation at our fingertips. Despite this, not everyone in IH has access to clean, safe, and reliable drinking water. Interior Health s Population Health portfolio is aiming to change that. Dr. Trevor Corneil, Chief Medical Health Officer for IH, commissioned the IH Drinking Water Report, released in May 2017, which outlines the state of drinking water in our region. With our growing awareness of climate change and the importance of environmental stewardship, now is an ideal time for individuals, families, and communities to take another look at their own water source. It s an ideal time to ask where does my water come from? How does it get to my tap? Is it clean and safe to drink? says Dr. Corneil. This report is important because it sets a foundation for water system improvements across Interior Health for the next five-to-10 years. Ultimately it is a guide that we hope will help educate the public and assist water providers in ensuring clean, safe, and reliable drinking water is provided across IH. It begs the question why isn t drinking water already considered clean, safe, and reliable everywhere in IH? Ivor Norlin, Manager of Infrastructure Programs, has been working with his team to improve drinking water in IH since This often involves upgrades to treatment plants and he knows improving water quality is not as simple as flipping a switch. Cost can be a barrier to water system improvement, but I hope people will understand how valuable this resource is. It is worth the investment, both to protect public health and for the future of our communities. The report found that some water systems rely too heavily on notifications like water quality advisories (WQA) or boil water notices (BWN). These are meant to be used to alert people to water quality issues for a limited period of time. At any given time, water systems of IH s more than 1,900 regulated systems are subject to some type of notification. This becomes problematic when systems remain on notification for years at a time. IH Medical Health Officer Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi says an overreliance on notifications can be a barrier to improvements that are necessary to ensure the health and safety of all. Drinking water advisories and notifications are great tools for informing the community members about the potential risk, but the state of drinking water in these communities will not change unless the required changes are made by investment. The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ) provide a framework based on science and research that helps determine what safe drinking water really means and how to achieve it. IH s drinking water officers keep this in mind as they work in collaboration with water providers to talk about treatment requirements and achieve everyone s ultimate goal: clean, safe, and reliable drinking water. Is your water really safe? Will you be able to gulp down a cool glass of water this summer without thinking twice about it? Have a look at IH s Drinking Water Report and inform yourself:

8 W hen talking about kidney health, the last thing you may think about is the state of your feet. Yet, it s the feet that sometimes pay the a price for the health hazards associated with renal failure. Those on hemodialysis have more vascular issues, have longstanding hypertension, and are often diabetic. They are at higher risk of foot ulcers and amputations, and even death. Now, feet are getting a little extra attention in Interior Health s renal program. It s all the result of recent work at Royal Inland Hospital, in which a Master s thesis became the blueprint for a new foot assessment and care program for IH s hemodialysis patients. "If we can assess on a regular basis, then we can make interventions earlier to minimize the risks associated with kidney failure, says Angela Busenius, Clinical Practice Educator for the IH West renal program. Gonzaga University program, and this seemed to fit the bill while having the potential to make a real impact on patients. The project team Angela, along with RN Teresa Rankin, RIH Nephrologist Dr. Joslyn Conley, IH Clinical Practice Lead Christine Topley, IH West Renal Manager Lauren Kembel, and Regional Director Paula Hann submitted the idea to the B.C. Provincial Renal Association as a priority project with a goal to deliver high-quality care based on individual needs within the RIH renal program. Paula was an enthusiastic supporter of the innovation it will minimize hospital admissions for lower-limb issues, and it improves quality of care as demonstrated by patient satisfaction. I am very proud of this team and its perseverance in navigating the early discussions of foot care, Paula says. The enthusiasm, passion, and teamwork shown has not waned, and the overall positive outcomes have helped propel the work onward. Foot concerns for renal patients are not new. In the Interior Health region, these have generally been addressed through private footcare clinics for those who were not only aware of the risks associated with kidney failure (most are not), but could also afford the service. However, some care received privately is done by estheticians who provide pedicures, instead of comprehensive nursing foot care in which more serious issues and potential problems can be identified and addressed. The need for education and free basic foot care is what kickstarted a brainstorming session on RIH s renal unit, says Angela. Preventive foot care in facility-based renal units has existed elsewhere for instance, Fraser Health has been operating a Socks Off program for some time. But no one had ever adapted the Socks Off idea for IH patients. The timing was fortuitous. Angela was looking for a project for her Master s in Educational Leadership thesis for her IH West renal educator Angela Busenius was awarded the 2017 Jeanne Foster Wardian Leadership in Education Award, from Gonzaga s Department of Educational Leadership and Administration, for her thesis work on IH s new foot care assessment program for renal patients. The new program began at RIH in November 2016, and then expanded to the community dialysis units (CDU) in Kamloops and Williams Lake in March Teresa received additional training to provide assessment and education to those most in need, as well as basic treatment such as nail care and callus removal. She also refers to other services for more treatment, such as for more active wounds requiring care, or arranging for orthotics in footwear to take pressure off those areas more susceptible to wounds. LPNs Ashlyn Bilodeau and Victoria Dow have also taken a basic foot care course to act as assistants to Teresa. In the hospital and our community dialysis units, patients are a captive audience, Angela explains. That allows clinical staff the time to perform assessments and basic foot care while patients are dialyzing. If concerns arise from the assessment, we can make referrals to resources within the hospital, such as a vascular surgeon or a diabetes educator.

9 RN Teresa Rankin provides a foot-care assessment and care to renal patient Ric Seymour. Ric enjoys the extra attention on his tootsies. He jokes that it s like having a pedicure. It s patient centred, and it provides better, more efficient, quality care for our renal patients. Patients are assessed a minimum of every three months, or more frequently if they are at higher risk for foot concerns. At this point, all chronic patients at RIH have been assessed and referrals made if necessary. They are in the process of assessing patients at both the Kamloops and Williams Lake CDUs. It made us think, why didn t we do this sooner? Angela adds. The patients are happy. And the nurses are happy to have one more piece of the assessment puzzle. Phase two of the program is now ready to roll out to other sites in IH. Angela and Teresa have shared their learnings in a train the trainer session with their colleagues, and it s anticipated this service will be offered elsewhere by fall Feedback has been positive, from both patients and nursing staff alike. And the assessments have proven to have benefited patients, in some cases identifying an emerging issue before it worsened. Of the 51 chronic patients assessed at RIH, four identified with neuropathy decreased feeling in the lower extremities, an indicator that there were vascular issues. Several were also referred to other resources 21 to a foot-care nurse, three to a vascular surgeon, and one to an orthotist. We learned that almost two-thirds of our patients are living at an increased risk of foot ulcers and potential amputations, and many are not receiving regular foot and nail care at home, either because they don t want to, or they aren t financially able to, Teresa says. These things bear watching and we need to be educating our patients to be careful and to take care of their feet by wearing properly fitting shoes, and inspecting their feet regularly. It s was fulfilling way for Angela to conclude her Master s degree she graduated in May. She was also honoured with a 2017 Jeanne Foster Wardian Leadership in Education Award, from Gonzaga s Department of Educational Leadership and Administration. It s an excellence award for the work on her thesis, recognizing its innovation, that it was from the grassroots, and that it will help the population she serves. But don t ask her to toot her own horn. She s appreciative and proud of the award, to be sure, but she says it s the result of the entire IH West renal team who worked on the foot-care project. I m really proud of the work we ve done, Angela says. It s not abstract it helps patients right now. I was happy to do the hard work because I know it is paying off for the patients.

10 Lisa Birch and Dr. Kyle Stevens M ark* is a young man who, despite personal challenges, is committed to staying off drugs, finding secure housing, and taking care of his health. It s not easy, especially because he has a mental illness that includes psychosis, a debilitating condition that impacts people s perception of reality. But he is succeeding he is no longer homeless, attends regular Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and is managing his symptoms with medication. Although he has some difficulty communicating his language can be disorganized when asked about the team at Martin Street, Mark is clear. If I have a problem, I talk to them about it and see what they think, he says. When I was homeless, they gave me a lot of helping hands to find something. It helps to have someone who can take that extra five minutes. They helped me with my housing at first. They helped me with my feelings. They helped me get on my meds again. The new meds they prescribed basically saved my life, he says. I was getting pretty confused.

11 Mark is one of more than 750 clients supported by the team at Martin Street since the centre opened in Penticton two years ago. A partnership between Interior Health, South Okanagan Division of Family Practice, and numerous other community agencies, the centre provides mental health/substance use and primary care services to a targeted atrisk population in Penticton. Dr. Kyle Stevens has been involved in the clinic since the beginning. I think it s going really well. In the last year, we have shifted from putting out fires and spending time getting to know the patients, to a point now where we are advancing care plans into a preventive realm for many of our patients an area some people haven t been in decades, says Dr. Stevens. We have opportunities to do simple interventions like mammograms and screening for diabetes. It s exciting because we re seeing these people become engaged in a differed aspect of their health care. That s come with building trust. The patients know they are valued and respected as they walk in. Dr. Stevens says having services under one roof is necessary to provide wrap-around care, and the location of the centre is also key. Many of the patients live within the downtown core, and sending a patient with diabetes up to the health centre to see the diabetes nurse educator, for example, just wasn t successful. An addictions support worker is available for consultations, as are harm reduction services, such as naloxone kits and training to reverse overdoses. It s only been a couple of years, but we see a lot of people moved in a positive direction, says Social Worker Lisa Birch. It s been really exciting and effective to provide this style of service to the clients. Today, for example, there was a woman here who I helped in part to find housing. She is also getting a bit of help from the Intensive Case Management team, an occupational therapy assessment, and a wheelchair. It took four different groups of people but it was really smooth and effortless. Lisa has met with more than 1,400 different people over the last two years. I am one cog in a wheel. I increase the effectiveness and efficiency in the centre. It s been nice to help stabilize people. From the perspective of clients like Mark, the work of the team here is both necessary and greatly appreciated. They re here and they re here to help. I feel great for them helping me, he says. * Not client s real name to protect privacy.

12 Breathing easier in the EK B reathing it s not something most of us spend a lot of time thinking about. But for those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe asthma, the simple act of drawing breath isn t so simple, and their struggles often mean a trip the hospital. A new Outpatient Respiratory Clinic is now in place to change that in Cranbrook. The clinic is about providing a specialty service locally here in the East Kootenay. It s about improving the quality of care we provide to our COPD and asthma patients, says Alison Harkness, respiratory therapy professional practice lead. Prior to this clinic, people who needed specialty services in a timely manner often had to wait months or travel to Kelowna or Alberta. We are focused on seeing COPD and asthma patients who have had hospital admissions quickly, within approximately 30 days. The clinic is a result of a partnership between East Kootenay Regional Hospital internal medicine specialists Dr. Moninder Vaid and Dr. Lori Wik and Interior Health community respiratory therapists. There are a lot of people with lung issues who have not had dedicated care from a multi-disciplinary team, says Dr. Vaid. The clinic is about helping people live longer and healthier in the community without needing to go to hospital. Patients are assessed by the therapists and then there is a shared visit with the internal medicine specialist. This collaborative approach ensures that both clinicians are working together to support patients and their care plans. Therapists will follow up with clients as required after the initial clinic visit to ensure those clients are doing well. We already had the expertise locally. We didn t require additional resources to open the clinic. This is about doing things a bit differently - taking advantage of the expertise we already have to better support our patients and clients, says Alison. Clients are referred by their family doctor, specialist or nurse practitioner. The focus is on individuals with COPD or asthma who have had to go to hospital to seek treatment. This is part of an overall effort to support individuals in the community and decrease reliance on hospitals for care better provided in the community, says Alison. Evidence shows there is less reliance on hospital care for patients who receive care from a specialist team. Located at the Wellness Centre in Rocky Mountain Lodge, the clinic can provide assessment and education, ensure clients have appropriate medications in place, create an action plan to help clients address flare ups of their conditions on their own, self-manage symptoms, and identify behaviours or situations that put clients at risk for more serious episodes. It can also support referrals to other specialty services such as pulmonary rehabilitation or public health for things like pneumonia and other vaccinations, home health and other IH services. The clinic is designed to improve the quality of care for COPD and asthma sufferers, provide more continuity of care and co-ordination between primary care and specialty care, and improve clients confidence in their ability to self-manage their care where appropriate, says Alison. Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Moninder Vaid, Community Respiratory Therapist Pam MacDonald, patient Ted Boyachek, and East Kootenay Home Oxygen Program Respiratory Therapist Deborah Leishman at the new respiratory care clinic in Cranbrook. To start, the clinic is operating two days per month, with spots for up to six clients. So far, about 20 clients have received service since the clinic opened May 1. This new service will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

13

14 obilizing an organization with more than 19,000 staff and more than 1,400 physicians, to take immediate action on improving workplace violence prevention was no easy task, but we did it! Early last November, WorkSafeBC, the provincial body for governing health and safety practices in the workplace, mandated that IH improve violence prevention training rates for all staff, managers, and directors to help reduce the number of violence-related incidents and improve the overall health and safety of our workplace also known as a WorkSafeBC Corporate Order. Despite our previous efforts to ensure the health and wellbeing of our employees and physicians by providing them with the safest possible work environment, WorkSafeBC identified several areas where we fell short, says Mal Griffin, VP Human Resources. We saw this as a call to action not only to respond to the corporate order, but workplace health and safety in general. During the last eight months, we have increased our focus on violence prevention and on broader health and safety improvements across IH. In response to the corporate order, we established the following goals: 100 per cent of high-risk staff trained in violence prevention by March 30 (all staff by June 30); 100 per cent of managers, supervisors, and incharge staff trained in occupational health and safety by March 30; 100 per cent of high-risk violence prevention risk assessments (VPRAs) completed by March 30; 100 per cent of all other VPRAs completed by Sept. 30; and 100 per cent of incidents immediately reported and investigated, with corrective actions implemented. Being far from these targets, an enormous task lay ahead. A working group was developed with director-level representatives from Workplace Health & Safety, Human Resources, Residential Care, Acute Care, Mental Health & Substance Use, and Medicine & Quality with additional assistance from Information Management Information Technology (IMIT) and Communications. Relations, and Chair of the WorkSafeBC Corporate Order Working Group. The task ahead seemed daunting. The working group quickly mobilized managers and staff to complete the violence prevention modules in i-learn. High-risk staff had the additional requirement of attending a full-day classroom session. The challenge with the classroom training was the limited resources we simply did not have enough violence prevention facilitators for the number of staff who needed the training, says Lana Schultze, Manager, Workplace Health, Safety, and Prevention. We needed to double the number of trained facilitators and develop a travel and training schedule to ensure all required staff received the education. At the same time, managers, supervisors, directors, and in-charge staff were tasked with taking the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Training for Supervisors in i-learn. Each week, we ran a report that showed us exactly who had completed the violence prevention and OHS training and those who didn t filtered down by portfolio, by site, and by manager, says John. The support we received from IMIT to develop this report was essential to us in achieving our targets. In January, the focus shifted to completing VPRAs for all sites, as well as improving incident reporting and investigation. We knew from the very beginning that to achieve the targets within the timelines outlined by WorkSafeBC, it would require collaboration between all portfolios, open and transparent communication, and a significant time investment, says John Bevanda, Corporate Director, Workplace Health and Safety, Labour and Employee By this time, the working group was feeling the pressure of looming deadlines, but we were also highly aware of the pressure on managers, says John. They had just pushed through an intense flu season and were now being asked to complete the biggest components of the violence prevention work.

15 Members of the Workplace Health & Safety WorkSafeBC Corporate Order working group were recognized by Interior Health Board of Directors earlier this spring. VPRAs involve a thorough assessment of a site s potential risks and taking the appropriate corrective actions to eliminate or reduce these risks. In a few short weeks, thousands of corrective actions were identified, ranging from training and process changes to capital equipment purchases. Every site s VPRA was reviewed in length by Workplace Health & Safety to determine what could be done immediately and what needed to be assessed for cost, says John. This work is still underway; however, many corrective actions have already been resolved at the site level. While corrective actions can be identified in a VPRA, they are also identified in incident investigations. Timely reporting of an incident at work is extremely important and an area in which IH still needs to improve. We don t know what safety issues need to be corrected if incidents are not reported and investigated, says Chuck McEwan, Lead, Workplace Health, Safety, and Prevention. As a result of the work in the last few months, we are pleased to see an increase in the number of incidents reported and corrective actions implemented. Our focus now is to improve the quality of completed incident investigations so we can effectively prevent future incidents. There s no doubt we have made monumental strides in violence prevention and safety training for IH employees. To see the improvements, we ve made from last November to today is a testament to all the work that has been accomplished, says John. I know we could not have achieved any of these milestones without the efforts of all our staff and incredible commitment from our managers. I am truly humbled by what we ve accomplished together. Going forward, IH has a commitment to maintain violence prevention and occupational health and supervisory training rates for staff and managers, VPRAs will be reviewed and updated annually, and incident investigations will continue to be reported, tracked, and followed up. Additionally, the development of a Health and Safety Management System to embed safety as culture at IH is underway. To help educate staff about everyone s role in creating a safe workplace and to also reinforce the commitment IH has made to keep our staff, patients, residents, and clients safe, a series of Staff Talk Safety testimonials were shared in IHintheLoop.ca. Take a moment to read Karen s residential care story, Courtney s mental health department story, and Dr. McInnes emergency department story. More information and resources about health and safety at IH can be found on the Employee Health and Safety webpage on InsideNet. See next page for WorkSafeBC Corporate Order results.

16

17

18

19 T he BC Health Care Awards celebrate excellence and innovation by recognizing deserving teams that are improving health-care delivery in B.C. and individuals whose achievements and actions inspire those around them. The 2017 awards recipients were announced June 26 two of which were awarded to staff at Interior Health: the Health Care Hero award and the Collaborative Solutions award. For inspiring others and doing whatever it takes to get the job done, Cheryl Jardine, Home Support Supervisor, Barriere/Clearwater Home Health, was named this year s Health Care Hero for Interior Health. One example of Cheryl s dedication was during the 2003 wildfire that swept through the valley between Barriere and Clearwater. Cheryl implemented a plan that would ensure both her homebound clients and home support team were evacuated safely. Through the years, she has supported employees to further their education and provided a shoulder to lean on during difficult times. She is also recognized by many for her problem-solving skills, judgment, and compassion. She knows everybody young to old, and can problem solve just about anything and people come to her for that, says Dawn Spencer, LPN at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater. She s compassionate, kind, and has everybody else s interests at heart. I feel very thrilled and privileged to have been able to work with her. Cheryl Jardine, Home Support Supervisor, Barriere/Clearwater Home Health Watch the interview with Cheryl on the BC Health Care Awards YouTube channel. Interior Health Insulin Safety Initiative was a large collaborative, multi-stakeholder, multi-site project designed to mitigate serious medication errors involving insulin. A major component of the project was to implement a standardized pre-filled insulin pen delivery system to replace the traditional vial and syringe. Although the pens offer several practical and safety advantages, they do carry unintended patient safety risks if used improperly. Recognizing this, Interior Health implemented a number of safeguards and practice changes related to insulin ordering, dispensing, administration, and documentation. Back L-R: Pharmacy Services Program Director Kevin Peters, Home Health Dietitian Andrea Archibald, Chronic Disease Management Regional Practice Lead Angela Chapman, and West Kootenay Pharmacy Professional Practice Lead Michael Conci. Front L-R: Diabetes Educator Heather Busby, Dr. Maureen Clement, Chronic Disease Management Regional Knowledge Coordinator Melanie Beatty, and Quality Improvement Consultant Allison Griffiths. Interior Health s post-implementation evaluation indicates these safety processes are well established in practice. The project serves as a model for inter-professional collaboration, effective knowledge translation, and the adoption of system-wide best practices. The project team can be very proud of their accomplishment, says Pharmacy Services Program Director and Project Sponsor Kevin Peters. The insulin safety initiative serves as a model of successful interdisciplinary collaboration. Experts from quality, nursing, medicine, dietetics, and pharmacy came together to make system-wide improvements in caring for patients with diabetes.

20

21 This is the last in a series of eight profiles of Aboriginal Nations within Interior Health. In this edition, we feature the Ktunaxa Nation.

22 Revelstoke Submitted by: Amanda Hope

23 New Denver Submitted by: Ben Rhebergen Kelowna Submitted by: Jennifer Treger Invermere Submitted by: Darryl Oakley Tsilhqot in Submitted by: Rebecca Farad

24 Staff and physicians across Interior Health have stepped up to help care for patients, residents, and clients who were impacted by the wildfires across the region. That includes those who themselves were evacuated, such as 100 Mile House family physicians Dr. Livit Machete and Dr. Andrew Juren. They are part of a temporary team-based health services clinic set up at the Emergency Social Services Reception Centre at Sandman Centre in Kamloops. Pictured here in one of the patient exam rooms are (L-R) Kerry McLean-Small, Kamloops Primary Care Manager; Dr. Livit Machete; Jolene Barkman, Kamloops Primary and Community Care Medical Office Assistant; and Dr. Andrew Juren. Michelle Murray from Cariboo Memorial Hospital helped evacuate Larry (the oncology department s day care fish) on July 15 using a urinal bag. Michelle is Cariboo Memorial Hospital s Critical Care Manager and has been the Incident Commander for the Williams Lake wildfire response. Every person and every fish matters in IH. Way to go, Michelle! Wishing you, Larry, and all the wildfire evacuees a safe return home. Overlander RN Rebecca Grindon created this beautiful stained glass window to mark the 40th anniversary of the Kamloops residential care home. Pictured with it are: back row, from left: IH CEO Chris Mazurkewich and Anne-Marie Visockas, VP Health System Planning, MHSU, and Residential Services; front row, from left: Daphne Jennings, care aide; Donna Lofstrom-Bell, Volunteer Resources manager; Sharon Lyall, recreation program staff member; Em Hammer, former staff and current Overlander Extended Care Hospital Auxiliary president; and Denise Slevin, Overlander manager.

25 After a disaster, your home emergency kit will be invaluable. Building a kit doesn t take long and doesn t have to be costly. You ll be glad that you did when disaster strikes. To learn more, visit Fraud and identity theft is big business. Identity theft is the fastest growing fraud in North America. The Better Business Bureau in Canada estimates that identity theft costs in excess of $2.5 billion a year to consumers, banks, credit card firms, stores, and other businesses. Did you know not everyone in Interior Health has access to clean, safe, and reliable drinking water? It may be surprising, but it is also true and you can help change that. Learn more at

26 KNOW THE SIGNS OF AN OVERDOSE Learn how to spot an overdose and what to do. Cannot be woken up or not moving Choking or coughing, gurgling, or snoring sounds WHAT TO DO Change in Colour Lips and nails turning pale, blue or gray Call immediately and follow the steps below. Give Breath Open the airway. Plug nose. Tilt neck back gently and give 1 breath every 5 seconds. Inject naloxone Inject one dose of naloxone in shoulder or thigh. Continue to provide breaths until the person is breathing on their own and help arrives. Learn more at gov.bc.ca/overdose Carry a Naloxone Kit Call #stopoverdose