September 2016 - Interior Health

A publication for Staff and Physicians of IH

Debunking myths:

Operation expansion Signed, sealed and, delivered!

New lease on life

A message from Chris Mazurkewich, Interior Health’s CEO.

Ways you can stay engaged in your day-to-day.

@IH talks with Dr. Silvina Mema about safe consumption services.

Physicians collaborate to improve timely care for MHSU patients.

Penticton unit clerk gets a new lease on life with wireless heart device.

Successful implementation of Sigma Spectrum IV infusion pumps.

Hard work results in surgical service growth at Royal Inland.

Introducing the Tsilhqot’in nation, the third of eight Nation profiles.

Snapshots of our staff in action and trending health-care videos.

Dr. Silvina Mema, IH Medical Health Officer. Story p. 6.

The @InteriorHealth magazine is a monthly publication created by the Communications Department of Interior Health. Past issues of @InteriorHealth can be found on our website under About Us/Media Centre/Publications & Newsletters.

If you have story ideas for future issues, please e-mail: IHAcommunications@interiorhealth.ca Deadline for submissions to the October 2016 @InteriorHealth magazine is Sept. 9.

Editors: Amanda Fisher, Karen Hurst Designer: Kara Visinski IH Communications Contributors: Lesley Coates, Susan Duncan, Patrick Gall, Karl Hardt, Megan Kavanagh, Erin Toews, Breanna Traynor, Tracy Watson

Every person matters

I

President & CEO Chris Mazurkewich and his wife, Wanda, on their Bowron Lakes canoe trip.

t’s hard to believe – a year has passed since I was interviewed and offered the position of Interior Health President & CEO. Time flies!

Lake Provincial Park. It was an incredible opportunity to immerse ourselves in the beauty of where we have the good fortune to live. But it was also a timely reminder of the importance of planning and navigating And a lot has happened in that year. What in order to achieve a goal. (Incidentally, still resonates most for me, though, is our she gets all the credit for that!) "every person matters" focus. I have engaged with staff, physicians, volunteers, For IH going forward, we must improve patients, community partners, elected on our ability to bring programs and officials, and other key stakeholders across initiatives to maturity – to execute well IH since last fall. I continue to be amazed and, quite simply, get things done. To do and inspired by the work being done, as that, we need to be clear about where we well as the commitment to provide quality are headed and how we are getting there; care to all. This is reflected in the many we also need to have ownership, data to patient thank you letters we receive and drive decisions, and a willingness to take the sensational staff stories I regularly risks. This will require us to be flexible see on the “In the Loop” website such as and nimble – to be able to quickly shift My name is Peter, and you saved my life. direction when needed and still achieve our goals.

Specifically, I have seen a lot of positives in our rural areas in the way of increased Speaking of direction and goals, over support through outreach programs. the last six months we've used the @IH Our expanded cardiac services across IH, magazine to introduce our Five Key as well as the MHSU rural outreach that Strategies to staff and physicians. is occurring in the Kootenays and the We have shared our goals for Primary Cariboo, immediately come to mind.

Care, Seniors Care, Mental Health Another good example highlighted in and Substance Use, Surgical Access, recent visits to the East Kootenay is how and Rural and Aboriginal Health the rural communities are being supported through related patient and provider

by East Kootenay Regional Hospital stories. I have also talked a lot about through specialty services. focusing our efforts to align with these strategies, with an emphasis on measuring We have always been good at stepping and improving productivity and efficiency up when it comes to crisis response, but to ensure resources are made available now this is happening to meet day-to-day, to support this work. Looking for quick ongoing needs as well. It’s great to see wins and leveraging what we’re already us helping one another out and pulling doing is key. together as a team – living our values as “One IH.” Thanks for the part you each For example, I see the expansion of our play in that; it is essential to our success. Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST) initiative as a way of better At the end of August, I joined my wife for supporting patients. MOST gives us the a seven-day canoe trip through Bowron ability to provide what our patients want

because we have their expressed wishes for treatment and care. This is especially true for frail elderly and/or complex medical patients.

More recently several other initiatives have come to light that we also see as priorities for IH – overdose prevention, medical assistance in dying, and the implementation of the new Nurses’ Bargaining Association (NBA) collective agreement. Each has specific requirements, so it is essential to have plans, direction, and teamwork to achieve what is expected. We are already seeing good execution in each of these areas on various components – from enhanced surveillance, expansion of the Take Home Naloxone program, and planning for safe consumption services to support overdose prevention in IH; to the development of a Care Coordination Centre to define and standardize IH processes for medical assistance in dying; to the NBA agreement obligations implemented to date including the formation of the Nursing Relations Committee, the consolidation of all licensed practical nurses (LPNs) into one certification, and new and improved recruitment processes. These are great examples of how we have shifted and reassigned resources to focus on priority work rather than adding new resources.

As we head into another busy fall, I look forward to seeing continued and increased focus on accomplishing what we’ve set out to do within the five key strategies, as well as the three new priority areas of work.

These are exciting times – we have the opportunity to play an important part in transforming the health-care system for our province. Let’s seize it!

An interview with Dr. Silvina Mema, IH Medical Health Officer

I

n the first six months of 2016, 64 lives were lost across Interior Health due to drug overdoses.

The communities of Kamloops and Kelowna are experiencing the bulk of these deaths – of the 64 deaths, 22 occurred in Kamloops and 19 in Kelowna. This compares with a total of seven deaths in Kamloops and 20 deaths in Kelowna during the entire 2015 calendar year.

Interior Health is not alone – across B.C., the number of deaths continues to climb. This prompted the declaration of a public health emergency on April 14, 2016.

Safe consumption services (more commonly known as safe injection services or SCSs) are one measure that Interior Health and other B.C. health authorities are looking at in order to help save lives and reverse this disturbing trend. @IH sat down with Dr. Silvina Mema, Medical Health Officer and Section Lead for Safe Consumption Services on IH’s Emergency Response Team, to talk about the public health emergency and safe consumption services.

How is Interior Health responding to the public health emergency?

Interior Health has focused its response to the public health emergency on three interventions that are proven to prevent overdose deaths: expanding the Take Home Naloxone program and overdose surveillance, treatment, and safe consumption services.

What are safe consumption services?

Safe consumption services provide a clean environment in which people can inject or consume pre-obtained prescribed or illicit drugs under the supervision of trained staff.

Scientific evidence shows that supervised consumption is effective in reducing mortality from drug overdoses.

In addition, safe consumption services also connect people with health-care and treatment services to help overcome their addictions. Finally, supervised consumption can reduce public drug use and the number of improperly discarded needles.

Right now there are two locations in Canada where people can inject drugs under supervision. Both are located in Vancouver, but other cities across B.C. and Canada are

currently in the process of either exploring or setting up these services. We are definitely not the only ones looking at providing safe consumption services.

Is there a need for supervised consumption in the Interior region?

Data from emergency departments in Interior Health shows that more than half of overdoses occurred in places other than a private residence. This means that people are injecting drugs and overdosing on the street and in other public locations – so, yes, there is a need.

Is Interior Health going to be opening a safe consumption service anytime soon?

Interior Health has been considering safe consumption as one if its strategies to respond to the overdose crisis.

However, planning for this service is very complex. Before a site can be opened, the federal government needs to grant the site an exemption under Section 56 of the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The application process requires consultation with the provincial and local governments as well as the community and other stakeholders like the RCMP. Interior Health has begun this consultation process and is planning to submit an application for the exception.

Where would safe consumption services be offered?

Kamloops and Kelowna are currently the two communities in which stakeholder engagement has begun. These are the two largest cities in the region and where most of the overdose deaths have occurred. If the engagement processes support proceeding with an application for both Kelowna and Kamloops, IH will submit an application for services in both communities.

What kind of model is Interior Health looking at – would it be like Insite in Vancouver?

Interior Health is planning to integrate safe consumption with other harm reduction and health services that already serve the population at risk of overdosing and dying. It would not be a stand-alone site like Insite, a safe consumption site in Vancouver.

There are only a few locations where safe consumption would fit, in both Kamloops and Kelowna. We are in the process of determining which specific locations in these communities we will consider.

Will drugs be provided at the site?

People using the service would bring their own drugs. No drugs will be dispensed or kept at the site.

Shouldn’t Interior Health provide more detox and treatment services, instead of spending money on supervised consumption?

Access to Mental Health and Substance Use services is critical for those who are contemplating treatment options. However, not all people who use drugs are ready for that.

Supervised consumption allows people who are not willing or able to go for treatment to remain alive in the meantime. In other words, a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective in addressing the harms of drug use. A comprehensive approach is needed that includes prevention of drug use in the first place, harm reduction, and treatment.

Safe consumption services can help facilitate entry into treatment. Research from Insite in Vancouver found clients who were in contact with the service were more likely to enter addiction treatment services than those who were not. So, supervised consumption and treatment services are not mutually exclusive – they complement each other.

Will there be resistance from the community?

Dr. Trevor Corneil, Dr. Silvina Mema, and Gillian Frosst review the Emergency Incident Management Team organization chart.

Safe consumption services are controversial – many people feel they encourage drug use and bring more drug users and crime to the surrounding area? Is this true?

This is a common assumption and a question that comes up frequently. However, evidence from Insite and also from Europe, suggests that SCSs would not attract people who use drugs to a neighbourhood. People who inject drugs will only travel short distances (i.e., a few city blocks) to use health services. That is why we are proposing to locate a SCS in an area that already has services for this population.

Research also suggests that supervised consumption services do not contribute to more crime surrounding the site. There was no increase in crime after Insite opened in Vancouver. In fact, the number of vehicle break-ins and thefts decreased.

This is something new for Interior Health, although this service has been provided in British Columbia for over a decade now. The local media has been quite interested in talking about safe consumption and most of the coverage has been quite positive.

Resistance often comes from not being familiar with the service as well as the stigma towards people who use drugs and, more generally, towards people who suffer from a mental health condition. When we encounter resistance, we will continue to discuss the evidence on the positive impact safe consumption has had in other communities.

As we move forward, we will be providing opportunities for people to learn more about supervised consumption and to share their opinions and concerns. We will be launching a survey shortly and setting up an email inbox for letters. We are also looking at other ways to engage neighbours and businesses.

Where can people learn more about safe consumption services?

On the public website, Interior Health has launched a web page on safe consumption services that contains information on supervised consumption as well as a comprehensive FAQ.

Supervised consumption does not promote drug use.

People do not start injecting/consuming drugs because of the availability of supervised consumption services. SCSs I’d also encourage people to visit our overdose response are used primarily by people with a long history of injection web page to learn about our other overdose prevention drug use. activities.

L

ucy is a 12-year-old girl. She was admitted to the emergency department after suffering a mental health-related illness. She saw a psychiatrist and was discharged later that day with a referral to see a child psychiatrist in approximately 18 months.

Lucy isn’t real. However, to the Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) Collaborative, Lucy represents an all-too-familiar scenario.

“There were some significant barriers facing MHSU patients, like Lucy, in our existing system,” says Kyla Gowenlock, Manager, Medical Program Transformation. “There’s a provincial shortage and uneven distribution of psychiatrists, particularly child psychiatrists, between urban and rural communities. As a result, patients can experience extreme delays and, in some cases, are altogether unable to see a specialist.”

Kyla is part of a working group with the Child and Youth MHSU Collaborative that has been looking at ways to address these and other problems facing MHSU patients throughout Interior Health.

In 2013, Kyla, along with Gina Sloan, Corporate Director, Medical Affairs and Dr. Alan Gow, then Community Integrated Health Services Physician Lead, co-chaired the Physician Compensation Working group. This province-wide working group involved partnership with a wide variety of stakeholder groups including Doctors of BC, the Ministry of Health (MOH), the BC Psychiatry Association, the BC Pediatrics Society, the General Practice Services Committee, the Specialist Services Committee, the Shared Care Committee, the Ministry of Children and Family Services, and many other organizations in our province.

The group spent two years looking at ways they could improve the compensation model for physicians in the MHSU field to better support the desired team-based service delivery model and provide timely access for patients.

“The previous physician compensation model created challenges for MHSU physicians to provide service to the more complex MHSU patients, including children and youth,” says Kyla. “It became apparent to us there were significant gaps between the desired service delivery and compensation models MHSU physicians were working within.”

In Fall 2014, the Physician Compensation Working group developed 26 provincial recommendations to improve physician compensation and better support the level of service in the MHSU field. The group also led the development of the MOH sponsored, innovative new physician compensation model called blended billing and IH was approved to implement the prototype of this model for B.C. psychiatrists.

Kyla Gowenlock, Manager of Medical Program Transformation (L), and Gina Sloan, Corporate Director of Medical Affairs, developed the innovative new physician compensation model called blended billing.

As Kyla explains, the physician voice was a key component to developing a successful model. As a result of her team’s inclusive process, they were able to work with the MOH to resolve key barriers. Throughout this process, Kyla says many physicians expressed their appreciation of being heard by IH and the MOH.

“This project was a very significant breakthrough for Interior Health and for the province as a whole,” said psychiatrist Dr. David Smith. “It displayed a whole new level of collaboration between Interior Health, physician leaders, the MOH, and many others, and the process validated the blended billing model.”

The MOH approved implementation of the Psychiatry Blended Billing guide for Interior Health in February 2015.

Following the successful prototype of this guide, the MOH agreed to expand it to all other health authorities. Currently, IH is supporting the MOH to create a provincial process, which will ensure a similar process for engaging physicians is followed in each health authority in order to maximize the possibility of success. The requirements for the other health authorities will be informed by IH’s process and our lessons learned.

“The Psychiatry Blended Billing guide was truly a win-win for physicians, IH, the MOH, and patients,” says Kyla. “We managed to address a number of challenges facing both MHSU physicians and patients and we believe the changes we were able to make will enhance the ability to recruit and retain physicians and ultimately help ensure Lucy doesn’t have to wait 18 months to see a specialist.”

Ma r ke t pl a c e I NTE RI ORHE AL TH

s omet hi ngf or ever yone

I ns i deNet>Mar ket pl ace

J

anuary 15 was a normal Friday shift for Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH) unit clerk Kelly Gagnon, 44.

Colleagues later said Kelly told them she was off to the pool, where she regularly swam laps before heading home. But Kelly can’t remember being at work that day, or going swimming. She woke up the next day in the PRH Intensive Care Unit.

She had been found that Friday evening floating in the pool. A sudden cardiac arrest had left her – for all intents and purposes – dead in the water.

Kelly says the quick action of the City’s lifeguards and their use of the facility’s Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) saved her life.

“Without them, doctors here would have had nothing to work with,” Kelly describes.

After a dramatic transport to PRH, followed by careful monitoring and tests, Kelly was transferred to Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria. She was Royal Jubilee’s first patient to receive a subcutaneous (under the skin) implantable defibrillator (S-ICD).

The S-ICD is a wireless device about the size of a pack of cards that has the ability to send an electric shock through the heart to restore a normal heartbeat if it senses irregularities. Signals from the device are monitored by staff at the Cardiac Clinic at PRH, where there are currently about 100 ICD patients being followed.

Kelly, however, was thought to be a good candidate for a newer model of ICD. Previously, all ICDs were implanted with wires to the heart to deliver the shock. Kelly’s ICD doesn’t have leads, which is a benefit for someone so young because, over time, leads may need to be replaced.

The battery life in Kelly’s ICD is also longer, averaging about seven years.

Approximately 45 of these S-ICDs have been implanted in B.C. since receiving Health Canada’s approval in April 2014.

Four of these patients are registered within Interior Health.

“Kelly is the only one of these patients monitored in her home community,” says Deborah Harry, PRH Pacemaker Clinic Nurse. “The fact that we get to see her all the time because she works here makes it even more unique.”

Kelly, at centre, with Pacemaker Clinic Nurse Deborah Harry and Cardiologist Dr. David Kincade.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a serious, life-threatening condition that happens abruptly and without warning. The heart’s electrical system malfunctions, and it is no longer able to pump blood to the rest of the body. The lack of blood to the brain causes the person to lose consciousness quickly.

If the person does not receive immediate treatment with defibrillation, brain damage and death can occur. However, with an ICD device, 19 out of 20 people will survive sudden cardiac arrest.

“Twenty years ago, sudden cardiac arrest was a largely fatal condition,” says Penticton Cardiologist Dr. David Kincade.

“With AEDs and ICD devices, we have a large collection of people who have not only survived, but can come to thrive.”

“I was discharged after 29 days in hospital,” adds Kelly.

“Within two months I was back to work, back swimming.

I was here to see my daughter graduate from Grade 7, I saw my son get his driver’s ‘L’ license, and I got to see my 23-year-old get started on his career.

“Aside from sometimes feeling that I can’t find the right word for things, there haven’t been any detrimental effects.

It is amazing.”

W

hen Rob Buhler, Clinical Information Specialist, Pharmacy Services, got the assignment – distribute 2,100 new infusion pumps to 45 sites across Interior Health and train 2,600 employees in limited time – he thought, “this can’t go well.”

But when Health Canada mandates a change, it’s time to dig deep to get it done – everyone did just that, says Rob, the man designated to lead the initiative for Interior Health.

Reflecting now on the successful project, he says fantastic teamwork from the vendor to five Interior Health departments made all the difference.

“I can’t say enough about the site leads, Biomed, IMIT, nurses at bedside, and Pharmacy for putting this whole project together. Everyone worked really well as a team, including the people from Baxter Corporation. They were great,” says Rob, Interior Health’s Clinical Information Specialist in Pharmacy Services.

The average person may not comprehend the complexities of replacing older pumps (version 6) with Baxter’s new Sigma Spectrum IV pump (version 8). But the operational team fully understood the magnitude of the work that faced them.

There was the matter of locating as many of the old pumps as possible at every site, because for every version 6 pump found, a new Sigma infusion pump would be provided free of cost by Baxter. To date, all but 50 pumps were found, which Rob found amazing considering the many times he has seen patients walking along a city street attached to an infusion pump.

“I would see them on Abbott Street near Kelowna General Hospital and think, ‘oh dear.’ But they must bring them back.”

Another huge task was compiling the pharmacy data. “We had to start from nothing with our drug library. Everything had to be rewritten and that took a lot of work, starting in Pharmacy and then vetting it through Nursing.”

These are some of the people from Interior Health and Baxter Corporation, including IH Project Lead Rob Buhler (centre back), who formed an incredible team to distribute 2,100 Sigma infusion pumps to 45 sites and also train 2,600 employees. Team members were at Kelowna General Hospital for the go-live launch.

Next came the Biomedical Department’s role of ensuring 2,100 V8 pumps were unpacked, inspected, and dispersed to the region.

Prior to that, Human Factors and Safety Systems Manager Wrae Hill was extensively involved in assuring that the new pump’s usability was, at minimum, as good as the previous version. From that, training requirements to incorporate the significant software changes were determined.

Together, Baxter and IH reps created a training curriculum, coordinated, and implemented the training for more than 2,600 staff, at more than 45 sites, in a region spanning 1,400 kilometres from end to end.

“It worked out far better than any of us anticipated,” says Rob. Catriona Connelly, Project Lead, Marketing Services for Baxter, says she recalls staring at her spreadsheet of all of the sites, and thinking: “How on earth are we going to do this?”

Team members head up the elevator at Kelowna General Hospital with a full load of Sigma infusion pumps that will “But we did, and well,” she wrote to the team in a note of thanks. mean improved care for patients.

Kevin Peters, IH Pharmacy Services Program Director, was equally impressed. “A well-organized, collaborative effort all round.”

Most patients will never know what went on behind the scenes, but 80 per cent of people admitted for an acute-care stay will reap the benefits of the new infusion pumps and all the work that went into ensuring patient safety first.

“Calculations required at the bedside are reduced because the pump has preloaded concentrations and has limits to ensure neither too much nor too little medication is delivered,” says Rob. He also was pleased to note that while some nurses were away for the training due to vacations or illness, they were easily able to learn to operate the new pumps, both because their colleagues could help them, but also because there was minimal difference in operational instructions from the previous pumps.

from Catriona Connelly of Baxter: Rob Buhler, IH Project Lead; Heather MacQuarrie, Baxter Clinical Specialist; Gail Crowston, Baxter’s Regional Clinical Manager: Outstanding work in creating a training curriculum, coordinating, and implementing that training. Nurse

feedback about Baxter’s clinical team was overwhelmingly positive.

The entire IH Biomed team (with special mention to Charlotte Shaw, Christina Djaja, Evan Thompson, Steve Hook, Nicole Learn, Melissa Delorme): The dedication, work ethic, and knowledge of this team shone through by how

few issues were reported throughout the process.

Greg Brett, IH Manager of Risk and Quality, Biomed: His leadership and supervision was truly appreciated.

Pharmacy team including Jessica Brecknock, Rob Buhler, and Mohammed Al Sukhni: A Master Drug Library (MDL)

build is no easy feat, especially for a region as large and varied as IH. Their hard work and determination to get the MDL completed in time despite unavoidable setbacks saw the build completed in time for vetting and the go-live dates.

Pharmacy leaders Tyler Digby and Kevin Peters: They provided constant support throughout the project.

John Geistlinger, IMIT, Pharmacy and Imaging Systems; Grant Bissett, IH Biomed; Jean-Paul Alcasid, Baxter; and the IH Information Management Information Technology Team (IMIT): Great support despite the fact that the IT portion

was primarily completed at the end of the previous deployment a few years ago. Their presence on the weekly calls points to the collaborative and supportive culture at Interior Health.

Rob Buhler, Interior Health, and Dan May, Baxter: Without their leadership and guidance, the team could not have

accomplished what it did.

T

he sixth of September began like any other for surgeons and nurses at Royal Inland Hospital.

Under their skilled care, patients receive treatment that will enhance their quality of life, and might even save it.

To those on the fourth floor of the Kamloops hospital, this is everyday stuff. To the rest of us, the work they do is simply extraordinary.

What makes it even more special for Interior Health is that Sept. 6 marks the day that RIH expands its surgical service by adding a planned 495 procedures to its slates before fiscal year end on March 31, 2017. It’s part of IH’s plan to improve timely access to scheduled elective surgery by increasing surgical capacity across the region – particularly for those patients who have been waiting longest for their procedures.

“Everyone is excited,” says Sue Gardner-Clark, the RIH Health Service Director who oversees perioperative services. “It’s going to be busy and challenging for them, but exciting as well. It’s brilliant for patients. And it’s a long time coming.”

The journey to surgical service expansion actually began in 2014, with the planning of an extensive renovation that saw some existing storage space combined and transformed to create a ninth elective operating room at RIH. The project was complete the following spring, and the new theatre went into operation April 15, 2015. The cost of the project was $2.5 million and was shared by Interior Health, the Thompson Regional Hospital District, and the RIH Foundation.

RIH’s intention was to expand its surgical service when the ninth OR was completed. However, the stars didn’t align as originally planned. A challenge with consistent anesthesiology coverage due to unforeseen circumstances and retirements put expansion on hold.

Flash forward more than a year, and RIH’s anesthesiology department has worked hard to get the Kamloops hospital through that difficult time. A lot of effort has gone into recruiting a full complement of anesthesiologists, says Dr. David Hanks, RIH’s perioperative medical director, and expansion is now ready to proceed – which is great news.

At the same time, he is keenly aware that with expansion will bring new challenges for a hospital that is regularly working to meet patient demand that often outstrips bed supply.

He and his colleagues are ready to face that challenge.

“It is good. It’s a start. A lot of hard work has already been done that needs to be recognized, but there is still L-R: RNs Dean Musey and Roxana Just, OR manager Lesley McLeod, and RIH’s Health Service Director Sue Gardner-Clark, stand in the hospital’s newest operating room.

work to be done to grow the program,” he says.

“RIH’s administration, the medical staff, and the physicians have done a tremendous job. Our ORs are probably the most efficiently run in the region. I can’t say enough about RIH Health Service Administrator Carol Laberge, Sue Gardner-Clark, and RIH OR manager Lesley McLeod, who have advocated for us. People do appreciate it. Everyone at RIH is doing a great job and has worked hard to get here.”

RIH’s surgical expansion will focus on addressing those patients waiting longest for surgery – primarily in orthopedics such as hip and knee replacements, but also ear, nose and throat, neurology, vascular, urology, plastics, and daycare procedures.

The RIH volumes are just one piece of the larger Interior Health puzzle. Improving timely access to appropriately scheduled elective surgery is a key priority for IH. Thus, in addition to the 495 cases being planned for RIH this year, another 1,152 procedures have been planned across the region by the end of March, benefiting patients in the Okanagan through IH’s regional operating room (based at Kelowna General Hospital), as well as at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, and Pleasant Valley Health Centre in Armstrong.

“The completion of these additional procedures this year will help Interior Health meet its goal of having 95 per cent of scheduled elective surgeries completed within 40 weeks,” says Ben Rhebergen, lead for Interior Health’s surgical strategy, adding that IH’s ultimate goal is to have 95 per cent of scheduled elective surgery completed within 26 weeks.

Ben adds that IH is already showing progress. An additional 1,000 procedures were completed at KGH’s regional operating room, which provides service to patients from Penticton to Vernon, in 2015/16, thanks to extra funding provided by the Ministry of Health. This helped result in a 26 per cent reduction in those waiting longer than 40 weeks – to just 6.8 per cent at July 31, 2016, down from 9.2 per cent.

Sue is excited to think about having more patients benefit from increased capacity this year. But she’s equally pleased for her staff and the surgeons at RIH, because they have worked together a long time to see the Kamloops hospital’s surgical service grow and improve – just a pocket of the work the hospital was already doing to enhance the patient experience at RIH. “It’s something that staff feels invested in, so it’s very exciting to see it finally coming to fruition,” she says.

Learn more about IH’s surgical strategy, on InsideNet.

This is the third in a series of eight profiles of Aboriginal Nations within Interior Health. This month we feature the Tsilhqot’in people.

Tsilhqot’in First Nation

Helmcken Falls, Wells Gray Provincial Park Submitted by: Amanda Fisher

Coalmont Submitted by: Amanda Hope

Kootenays Submitted by: Betty Kennedy-Popoff

Where We Live & Work ... A Spotlight on Our Communities

McGillivray Lake Submitted by: Phyllis Wilson

Covering more than 215,000 square kilometres, Interior Health is diverse in nature and composed of vibrant urban centres and unique rural communities. Photos are submitted by employees and posted to the InsideNet. Select photos are featured in @IH. Submit your photos of the beautiful places that make up IH on InsideNet Spotlight Photos.

This summer, residents of Tamarack Cottage, a mental health rehabilitation facility in Cranbrook, enjoyed a trip to Moyie Provincial Park for a fun overnight camp-out. Recreation Therapist Krista Scavo and Registered Nurse Denise Rakebrand coordinated the outing, which included swimming, cooking meals, walking around the park, playing games, roasting marshmallows, and singing songs around the campfire.

Denise says residents are looking forward to planning the next camp-out and integrating more in the community of Cranbrook.

Louise Delaney, Recreation Therapist at Gateby Care Centre in Vernon, has a passion for recycling. Louise worked with Gateby residents to create a unique and colourful mural outside the main entrance made entirely out of recycled bottle caps! This beautiful and eye-catching project diverts waste from the landfill and improves IH's environmental footprint.

Manager Natalie Kulyk (L) and Acute Services Director Barb Tymchuk are dwarfed by this massive sign — the original sign that was posted during construction of the 100 Mile District General Hospital 50 years ago! The sign was on display on July 22, when staff, physicians, residents, and community leaders gathered in 100 Mile House to celebrate the hospital’s golden anniversary. To learn more, read the full news release.

Teens are unique – why should their hospital gowns be any different? That’s why Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada started the WARD + ROBES initiative: a partnership with top designers to create unique hospital gowns teens actually want to wear.

Learn more at Starlight Canada.

Angus, a two-year-old English springer spaniel, is Canada’s first Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) hunter. He works at Vancouver General Hospital and uses his scent-tracking abilities to find toxins in the bacterial organisms that cause C. diff. infections. C. diff. is the leading cause of infectious diarrhea in hospitals and residential care facilities.

The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow, delivered by health-care students, rolled into Merritt, Princeton, and Keremeos earlier this year to showcase the diverse range of health-care career options available for rural high school students.

The roadshow is led by the University of Northern British Columbia in partnership with UBC's Faculty of Medicine, Northern Medical Programs Trust, and Rural Education Action Plan.

Learn more at www.unbc.ca.

Are your child's immunizations up to date?

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