RDKB says, swap out that smoky woodstove and get a good rebate
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) wants residents to change out old, smoky wood stoves for cleaner appliances including heat pumps, gas or pellet stoves or cleaner burning wood stoves. The RDKB has put a total of $6,000 toward the 2018 Wood Stove Exchange Program and $5,000 is still available to fund rebates...
Interior Health CEO to retire this fall
Interior Health’s Board Chair Doug Cochrane announced today that president and CEO Chris Mazurkewich has provided the board of directors with his letter of resignation, expressing his decision to retire at the end of October. “Chris Mazurkewich has spent nearly three decades working to build a strong, sustainable health system...
Letter: Big Thanks to Grand Forks
To The Editor: The Alzheimer Society of B.C. thanks the Grand Forks people of and the West Kootenay region for their encouraging response to January’s annual Alzheimer Awareness Month and to our new social awareness campaign, “I live with dementia. Let me help you understand.” Our campaign aims to spark conversations and...
Can your smart phone save your life?
A new smartphone app is set to turn B.C. bystanders into potential life-savers when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs in a public place. BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) launched the free PulsePoint application today throughout the province. It provides vital information in the case of cardiac arrest, where minutes count in...
Telehealth: A boon for rural patients?
Getting to see your specialist for important health care in rural BC can be challenging, especially in the winter. Seeing your doctor through video conferencing can be the best option for many people. Take expectant mom Natalie Santano, who used telehealth video conferencing technology to connect with her specialist in Nelson....
UPDATED: Air Quality Advisory ENDED for Grand Forks
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, in collaboration with the Interior Health Authority, has ended the Air Quality Advisory issued on January 13 for Grand Forks due to the high concentrations of fine particulates. Changing weather conditions are expected to further improve air quality over the next few ...
Alzheimer Society of B.C. campaign aims to end stigma in Grand Forks
The Alzheimer Society of B.C. announced today that while awareness about dementia has increased, stigma and negative attitudes about it continue to persist. The Society is releasing findings of a new survey to coincide with Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in January and to kick off its new social awareness campaign – I live with...
Special Public Avalanche Warning Issued
Avalanche Canada and Parks Canada are issuing a Special Public Avalanche Warning for recreational backcountry users, in effect immediately until the end of day Monday, January 15. The warning applies to the following forecast regions: Lizard Range & Flathead, South Rockies, Purcells, Kootenay Boundary, South & North...
Opinion: The second 'Warning to Humanity' and what we can do
A year ago, we revisited the 1992 “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity.” Signed by a majority of Nobel laureates in sciences at the time and more than 1,700 leading scientists worldwide, the document warned, “Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course.” It called for a new ethic that encompasses our...
Protecting loved ones and staying healthy over the holidays
The festive season is a time of celebrating with loved ones. Unfortunately, holiday mingling brings together people AND germs. At this time of year it is not unusual for health facilities to experience outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness (GI) and respiratory infections. Both are highly contagious and common in the community...
