There are moments when the toxic drug crisis becomes painfully real. A phone call in the middle of the night. A memorial growing on along the side of the Columbia River. A name spoken quietly among colleagues because another person didn’t make it. For many people in British Columbia, these moments are no longer rare. […]

Beginning Wednesday, April 1, 2026, the health professions and occupations act comes into effect, which will improve patient safety by increasing transparency and ensuring good and consistent governance for regulators. For health-care professionals, it means more support and structure from regulators, so they can focus on patient care. This regulation will not cause any disruption […]

What if a healthcare provider could prescribe more than medicine? Across British Columbia, they can, and they do. Today, social prescriptions are helping people access things like food security programs, exercise classes, housing support, and even time in nature. These “non‐medical prescriptions” are improving health in ways a pill never could. It’s called social prescribing, […]

As the province approaches 10 years of the public health emergency regarding toxic drugs, nearly five British Columbians continue to lose their lives each day, according to preliminary data released by the BC Coroners Service. While the 150 deaths reported in January represents a decrease of 10% from the total number investigated in January 2025 […]

Local Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA) has been featured in a book by national best-selling author Dr. Brian Goldman called The Casino Shift: Stories from an ER on the Edge. The book, to quote publisher Harper Collins, is, “an hour-by-hour account of what a Canadian emergency room is like in these turbulent times when […]

A new phase in British Columbia’s approach to mental health crisis response began on February 25 in the Southeast District, as RCMP detachments in Golden, Columbia Valley, Elk Valley Regional, Creston, Kimberley, and Cranbrook adopted HealthIM in collaboration with Interior Health. The system enhances real-time risk assessment and strengthens coordination with Interior Health emergency departments. HealthIM is […]

By Donald Weaver, Professor of Chemistry and Senior Scientist of the Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is on track to become one of the defining public health challenges of our time. Every three seconds, somewhere in the world, someone is diagnosed with dementia, and it’s usually Alzheimer’s disease. […]

Construction begins today on the new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suite at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) in Trail, marking a major milestone in strengthening medical imaging and diagnostic services for people across the Kootenay Boundary region. “Investing in modern health-care infrastructure is essential to making sure communities across British Columbia have access to the […]

A record 575 people in British Columbia received the gift of life in 2025, thanks to the incredible generosity of 232 organ donors, including 146 deceased donors and their families and 86 living donors. This is the highest number of organ transplants ever performed in the province in a single year. (Full annual summary available […]

More people in B.C. can now get timely, personalized addictions care as government expands Access Central, a phone line that provides a single point of entry to connect people to certified health providers, and comprehensive, people-centred care. “Supports like Access Central make a real difference for people on their road to recovery,” said Josie Osborne, […]