Water Quality Advisory, effective immediately, for City of Nelson
Water users in the City of Nelson are now under Water Quality Advisory, effective immediately, said the Public Works Department in a media release Friday (April 22). The Water Quality Advisory was arrived following consultation with the Interior Health Authority. "Recent testing shows that current water qualities in the Nelson...
Kootenay Lake Hospital chimes celebrate new life
The next time you hear gentle wind chimes ringing through the halls of Kootenay Lake Hospital, it means a new life has entered the community. Electronic Birth Chimes have been installed in labour and delivery at KLH. This allows parents of newborns to announce their new arrival over the hospital paging system. The purpose of...
Telehealth a Game Changer for Our Region?
Have you ever had to drive to Trail, Nelson or farther to see a physician specialist? Would you be interested in trying other options that wouldn’t require you to travel? If the answer is yes, doctors would like to hear from you. Kootenay Boundary residents who have seen specialists in the last two years are being asked to...
Provincial health officer declares public health emergency due to rise in overdoses
A significant increase in drug-related overdoses and deaths has prompted provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall to declare a public health emergency. This is the first time the provincial health officer has served notice under the Public Health Act to exercise emergency powers. B.C. is the first province to take this...
First detection of deadly bat disease on West Coast concerns BC
A report confirmed last month by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife that White-Nose Syndrome had been detected on a dead bat near Seattle is very worrisome for the health of bat populations in British Columbia said Juliet Craig, Coordinator of the Kootenay Community Bat Project (KCBP) and BC Community Bat Program....
Local man speaks out about Parkinson's Disease and upcoming fundraiser
April is Parkinson's Awareness month. I would like share my story with you to hopefully help bring a better understanding of what it is like to have Parkinson's Disease. In April or May of 2013, I noticed a couple of things with my left hand/arm which didn't seem normal. I noticed my left arm didn't swing normal when I walked....
Kootenay Boundary to get eight new substance use treatment beds
An additional 73 substance use treatment beds are on their way to communities throughout Interior Health (IH). The new beds are part of IH’s plan to meet the Province’s 500 Substance Use Spaces Initiative and will support and enhance existing substance use treatment services across IH. “These new beds for Interior Health are...
Tick season is upon us
The early spring weather means many of us are spending more time outside. We aren’t the only ones enjoying the unseasonable warmth - the change in weather also brings out ticks – small bugs that feed on the blood of humans and animals and can sometimes transmit disease. Ticks are most often found in tall grass and wooded...
BC Lung Association steps up to offer short-term radon testing
The BC Lung Association has partnered with Radon Environmental Management Corp to provide a faster way to find out if your home, school or workplace has potentially unhealthy indoor radon levels, the leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. “Waiting for months to find out if your home, school or workplace’s indoor radon...
IHA wrings out Nelson laundry service and prepares to cut 29 jobs in the city
The fate of Kootenay Lake Hospital’s laundry services has all come out in the wash. On Tuesday afternoon the Interior Health Authority (IHA) has elected to contract out hospital laundry services for Nelson and four other communities, meaning 29 job losses in the city. Interior Health’s board of directors and the health authority...