Interior Health: Be prepared for wildfire smoke events
Wildfires are a regular part of summer in British Columbia, and with wildfires comes the potential for wildfire smoke pollution. The best way to protect your health from wildfire smoke pollution is to be prepared with ways to reduce your exposure to smoke. Here are seven steps that you can take to prepare for wildfire smoke...
IHA on Disaster stress: four tips for coping with wildfires, smoky skies
Smoke, evacuations, loss, worry – B.C.’s wildfires affect us all. If you are feeling stressed or anxious, you are not alone. The fear of having to flee your home, leave possessions behind and relocate can cause distress, fear and anxiety for you and your loved ones. Even the prospect of living with smoky skies during wildfire...
Seniors Advocate: Home Support Falling Short
A report submitted by the office of the Seniors Advocate: British Columbia’s Home Support program is unaffordable for most seniors, offers too little service for high-need clients and has created a workforce where 75 per cent of staff are casual or part-time, says B.C. Seniors Advocate Isobel Mackenzie. In a comprehensive...
Overdose deaths would be at least twice as high without emergency harm reduction and treatment response
The rapid expansion of harm reduction services in response to B.C.’s overdose crisis prevented more than 3,000 possible overdose deaths during a 20-month period, suggests new research led by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). The study estimates that without access to and rapid scale up of harm reduction and treatment...
Blood donation waiting period for men who have sex with men reduced to three months
Health Canada has approved Canadian Blood Services’ request to reduce the blood donation waiting period for men who have sex with men from one year to three months. The change will take effect across the country on June 3, 2019. Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, Québec’s blood operator, will make the change at the same...
Why Words Matter When We Talk About Addiction
Ed. note: The following is a press release issued by Toward The Heart, the harm reduction arm of the BC Centre for Disease Control: Words and language matter – especially for people who use substances. The terms we use to describe people who use drugs and the conditions associated with drug use can play either a supportive ...
Want Better Health Care? Have Your Say.
The Centre for Rural Health Research wants to hear from YOU. To provide useful evidence for health care planning in BC, the “Rural Evidence Review Project” is seeking input from everyone who cares about the quality of health care in our rural communities, and has ideas about how to improve it. The project is led by Dr. Jude...
PSA: Making it simple to be protected against measles
Following outbreaks of measles occurring around the globe, the Government of British Columbia launched a Measles Immunization Catch-Up Programto ensure children in B.C. are protected from measles. There are currently no active confirmed cases of measles in Interior Health. As part of this provincial program, Interior Health...
New Emergency Alert System for RDKB Residents
Floods? Wildfires? Residents can register for emergency alerts about these, or other imminent threats, delivered by smartphone app, email and voice or text to a landline or cell number. The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has launched a new emergency alerting system powered by Voyent Alert! —a Canada-based notification...
Recall Notice - N7 Nitro Cold Brew Coffee from Cherry Hill Coffee
Interior Health is advising the public that N7 Nitro Cold Brew Coffee from Cherry Hill Coffee has been recalled due to temperature issues in the manufacturing process that potentially failed to control pathogens, including botulism. If you purchased N7 Nitro Cold Brew Coffee from Cherry Hill or other stores carrying this...
