When Canadians are asked what makes them proud to be Canadians, many say that our health care system is a big part of that pride.  We care about each other and want to make sure that everyone has access to health care when they are sick or injured.  But our medicare system has some big gaps, and one of those is our access to...

Avalanche Canada, in partnership with Parks Canada and Alberta’s Kananaskis Country, is issuing a Special Public Avalanche Warning for recreational backcountry users, in effect immediately. The warning is widespread and applies to all the forecast regions in western Canada. For a map of the regions involved, click here....

A case of measles infection has been confirmed in the Interior Health region, in 100 Mile House. Interior Health medical health officers have determined that this infection was likely acquired outside of the province and is not linked to cases on the B.C. coast. This is the only confirmed measles case in Interior Health at ...

Enhanced patient care and improved conditions for health-care workers are coming to Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) as a new ambulatory care area and expanded pharmacy have been approved by the provincial government. “Regional hospitals are critical for people in rural areas like the West Kootenay Boundary because...

Nick Stobbart suffered from shortness of breath, and it kept him from getting around as much as he would have liked. The culprit? Heart failure, due to a bad aortic valve that twice landed the 89-year-old in hospital. The timing could not have been worse, as his wife of 60 years was at home receiving palliative care for cancer....

After 30 years of decline, smoking rates in Canada have risen. Could this disconcerting statistic be linked to the growing popularity of e-cigarettes? E-cigarettes, otherwise known as vaping products, are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid cartridge containing chemicals such as nicotine. The heated liquid becomes an...

Approximately one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. It is the most common type of cancer found in women in BC with around 3,500 BC women receiving a breast cancer diagnosis each year. Regular screening mammograms can find breast cancer early, often before it has spread. About 10 per cent of all screening...

Interior Health is advising Trail and area residents that the Waneta Primary Care Clinic remains open, with nurse practitioners (NPs) Lori Verigin and Chelsea Van Vliet providing day-to-day primary care for local patients. NPs have a scope of practice similar to a family practice physician, and provide comprehensive holistic...

BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) influenza experts are advising British Columbians that influenza activity is increasing as we head into the holiday period. High-risk individuals and their close contacts should be vaccinated as soon as possible. “Our monitoring suggests the influenza epidemic will coincide with the festive...

Did you know 43% of men and 55% of women in Canada have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep1?  Did you also know that your body repairs itself during sleep and having poor sleep health can increase your risk of serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease or less serious problems such as increased wrinkles? […]