The updated statistics from the BC Coroners Service released Wednesday show the number of illicit drug overdose deaths has increased over the month of October. The BC Coroners Service said for the first 10 months of 2016, the number of illicit drug overdoses was 622, compared to 397 for the same period last year. The total ...

You can’t physically move an entire regional intensive care unit (ICU), but Interior Health is banking on telehealth technology to help. For hospitals in Kootenay Boundary without an ICU, specialists are using this technology to bring ICU expertise to emergency departments (EDs) in real time to care for critically ill or...

British Columbia’s Chief Electoral Officer, Keith Archer, has granted approval in principle on an initiative petition application. The petition will be issued to proponent Joshua Henshaw on Monday, January 9, 2017. The title of the initiative is: An initiative to amend the Fire and Police Services Collective Bargaining Act....

Interior Health board member John O’Fee of Kamloops has been appointed incoming chair of the board of directors, to replace current board chair Erwin Malzer when he completes his tenure on Dec. 31, 2016. “In his 10 years as a director and two years as board chair, Malzer has served Interior Health with distinction, with a...

Every year in Canada, about 12,200 people are hospitalized and 3,500 people die from influenza or its complications.   The public can help themself and those around stay healthy, prevent illness and potentially save lives in one easy step – by getting your annual flu shot. Nelson Flu Vaccine Schedule Castlegar Flu Vaccine...

Conversations about food often include favorite meals and restaurants.  But in the Columbia Basin-Boundary food conversations are increasing and evolving, including discussions on local agriculture, food security, and related policies and plans. Food is a hot topic these days, and these conversations include a diversity...

The sale of the Trail Smoke Eaters BCHL hockey team will be a fantastic boost for the community, according to Smoke Eaters president Tom Gawryletz. Despite the tremendous support of the Trail Smoke Eater Society, public volunteers and its staff, the future of the community-run hockey team remained uncertain, until now. The ...

Vaping isn’t for everyone — including the Government of Canada. On the Government website, the Canada’s Federal Tobacco Control Strategy said there will be introduction of new tobacco legislation to address vaping products in Canada. “Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in Canada, affecting the well-being of all Canadians, including youth,” said […]

Interior Health (IH) is pleased to announce five contracts have been awarded for the creation of 26 additional support recovery beds. These new beds will enhance mental health and substance use (MHSU) services throughout the B.C. Interior. “More beds mean more people can get their lives back,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “Bed by bed, […]

An immediate response by the Castlegar RCMP may have contributed to a man surviving a dire medical situation this past Saturday in Castlegar. On Sept. 17, at 9 a.m., officers with the Castlegar RCMP were approached in the detachment parking lot by individuals looking for assistance with a male who had collapsed while preparing...