A publication for Staff and Physicians of IH

http://www.quitnow.ca

Snapshots of our staff in action over the last month.

The @InteriorHealth magazine is a monthly publication created by the Communications Department of Interior Health. Past issues of @InteriorHealth can be found on our website under About Us/Media Centre/Publications & Newsletters. If you have story ideas for future issues, please e-mail: IHAcommunications@interiorhealth.ca Deadline for submissions to the February 2015 @InteriorHealth magazine is January 12. Editors: Amanda Fisher, Breanna Pickett Designers: Breanna Pickett, Kara Visinski, Tracy Watson IH Communications Contributors: Lisa Braman, Lesley Coates, Susan Duncan, Patrick Gall, Karl Hardt, Megan Kavanagh, Breanna Pickett, Erin Toews, Tracy Watson

Respite offers rest and relief for caregivers.

A new flavour for the CEO message, just in time for the New Year!

IH Engagement Apprentice Flat Stanley shares appreciation for his

adventures throughout IH.

Learn how to protect yourself and your personal information.

The Take Home Naloxone program makes help available the moment

an overdose happens.

Preparing for the 2015 Employee Engagement Survey, we want to

know what each Gallup Q12 question means to you.

Who are these dastardly criminals? Read the full story on p. 18. (Photo credit: Kim Anderson/United Way).

A chat with Tracy Carroll, Emergency Department RN, and what’s

neat and new at East Kootenay Regional Hospital.

Shining a spotlight on the many communities that make up where

we live, work, and play.

I t’s a new year … a fresh

start, a new beginning … the perfect time to make

improvements and do better.

With that in mind, I have met with the @IH team to talk about

changing up my monthly message. We want to keep it interesting

and of value to staff and

physicians, so we have decided to broaden the scope and invite

our vice-presidents to be guest writers in what will transition to

a senior executive column.

In every other issue going forward, a guest VP will share his or her perspective

on priorities and challenges in their

portfolios, as well as touch on progress and successes. This will give you an

opportunity to learn a bit more about how we all work together as one IH team,

and how each portfolio and every person working in it has an important role to play.

I will kick things off by talking about the

organization as a whole – my role in

bringing it all together and our priorities and challenges for the year ahead.

As CEO, I keep my finger on the pulse

of every portfolio and am always looking ahead to how decisions made and actions

taken may have a domino effect. For example, when Residential Services

opens new beds or makes a change to

its admission process, what does this mean for Acute Services and Community

Integration? And how will it affect our patients and clients? It’s important for

us to think about impacts across the spectrum and plan accordingly.

Fortunately, we have a terrific collection

of senior executives with varied

backgrounds and expertise, who act as one high-functioning team. We might not always agree on everything, but we each have a voice that is heard and there is

synergy in our approach to leadership. This goes a long way in helping us make

the best decisions for the organization.

I look forward to the addition of a new

member to our team at the end of this month. Wendy Hansson will join us

as the Vice-President of Community Integrated Health Services (CIHS),

bringing a fresh perspective and a wealth of progressive leadership

experience. Wendy is known for her values-based and collaborative style,

and also her passion for inspiring diverse

groups of stakeholders to stand behind a common vision – qualities that will serve

her well in the CIHS portfolio.

The arrival of our new VP is timely as the growth and development of programs and

services in the community sector is a top priority for Interior Health and the Ministry

of Health. We are seeing a provincial focus

on target populations in the Ministry’s Setting Priorities for the B.C. Health System document as well as a greater focus on prevention and integrated

community care to decrease the demand on acute and residential care. In IH,

we have also chosen preliminary priority areas for 2015/16 and those include:

mental health and substance use,

diabetes, cardiovascular disease, COPD, and dementia.

Priorities also translate into challenges

because keeping up with all the initiatives, directives, requests, and demands is a

challenge for all of us, at every level of the organization.

To help address that challenge, our Change Management Office is guiding

us through a portfolio change-mapping process that will help better focus our

efforts. The first step is to create a list of all current and planned initiatives

within each of the VP portfolios. Next, these initiatives will be prioritized using

specific criteria and we will then develop

plans to support each initiative moving forward. Watch for more information about our change mapping work coming your way in early 2015.

Happy New Year … and stay tuned for our

first VP message in the next issue of @IH.

At Interior Health, we want to set

new standards of excellence in the delivery of health services in B.C.

and to also promote healthy lifestyles and provide needed health

services in a timely, caring, and

efficient manner.

To achieve this, we are guided by the following strategic goals:

Goal 1 Improve Health

and Wellness Goal 2 Deliver High Quality Care Goal 3 Ensure Sustainable

Health Care by Improving Innovation, Productivity, and Efficiency Goal 4 Cultivate an Engaged

Workforce and Healthy Workplace

The articles featured in the @IH newsletter are great examples of

how we’re achieving our goals … and realizing our vision and mission.

CEO Dr. Robert Halpenny.

T his June, Interior Health employees will be asked to complete an Employee Engagement Survey. The survey,

made up of 12 questions (Q12), is offered through the Gallup organization. These questions have consistently been found to measure the aspects of employee engagement that link to business outcomes.

In preparing for the 2015 IH Employee Engagement Survey, we want to know what each Gallup Q12 question means

to you, and how it relates to your level of employee engagement.

In last month’s @IH, we opened for discussion

the following engagement survey topic: At work, my opinions seem to count.

Among some of the feedback and thoughts we

heard was a note written from Rusty Chartier,

Home Support Supervisor, Penticton Health Centre. He says:

“An employee's motivation is a direct result of the

sum of interactions with his or her manager.”

The communication and trust Rusty has with his

manager, Jeff Dias, enable him to freely share his opinions and feel like his opinions count.

Jeff Dias (L), CIHS Manager for Oliver/Osoyoos, and Rusty Chartier, Home Support Supervisor

at Penticton Health Centre.

JANUARY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Q8. The mission or purpose of my organization makes me feel my job is important.

Q9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.

With these questions in mind, share your thoughts. Do you feel that your job is important? Are you proud of the work that your co-workers are doing? Tell us what you think and consider how you will answer these questions in June when

you are asked to take the Engagement Survey.

Please send your feedback to YourOpinionsCount and we’ll share excerpts in the next @IH. As always, the complete list

of responses is posted on the Engagement web page.

K im Jacobs has helped save

eight lives in less than two years. Kim is not a nurse or

a doctor or a paramedic; in fact, she doesn’t even work in the

health-care field. However, what Kim

knows how to do is recognize the signs of an overdose and administer

a life-saving drug called naloxone.

Naloxone (also known as NarCan) is a medication that reverses the effects

of both prescription and street opioid

drugs such as heroin, oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine, and methadone on

the body. Within minutes, naloxone can restore normal breathing and prevent

severe brain damage and death.

The Take Home Naloxone (THN)

program is a partnership between the BC Centre for Disease Control and the

health authorities. The program uses a “training of trainers” model to get

this life-saving drug into the hands

of people using opioid drugs and their support people.

Jeff Walsh, Harm Reduction Coordinator for Interior Health, is responsible for training front-line staff and our

community partners. The training covers valuable information on overdose prevention, recognizing signs of an overdose,

and how to use the naloxone kits. Once trained, staff and community partners then go out and train those who may be at risk of overdose and their support people.

“The great thing about this program is that it really is saving lives. It is getting medication into the hands of those who

are able to respond to an overdose first. This program has meant dozens of our fellow community members have been

saved. For individuals, families, and communities, this is huge,” says Jeff.

Taking care of people comes naturally to Kim, who describes herself as a bit of a “mama bear.”

“People on the street often come to me for help and I listen,” says Kim. “I have been around overdose for a long time and I was trying to save people without the NarCan.”

Kim attended Take Home Naloxone training at the Cammy LaFleur Street Outreach Program in Vernon in March 2013. Since her training she has used naloxone kits to reverse eight overdoses, with the most recent being just a couple

weeks ago. Her entire presence lights up as she recalls how she was recently able to bring a man back from the brink of death at a time when just a few moments made all the difference between life or death.

The THN program makes help available right at the moment an overdose happens. Kim says that is crucial. In her

Saving Lives

Learning to recognize the signs of an overdose is an important part of the Take Home Naloxone program. Jessica, from the Cammy LaFleur Street Program, is one of many community partners delivering training to at-risk clients and their supports.

experience, many people who overdose are reluctant to seek help from traditional emergency services due to fear

they may be discriminated against or worries about police involvement.

Naloxone provides vital minutes of oxygen and can help stabilize a person until emergency services arrive. For those who decide not to access emergency services, naloxone gives them a fighting chance that they never would have had.

More information on the Take Home Naloxone program is available at Toward the Heart. If you would like to find out more about offering the program in your community, contact Jeff Walsh, Harm Reduction Coordinator.

More about Take home naloxone

The THN program launched in Interior Health in November 2012. The first kits were dispensed by the Cammy LaFleur

Street Outreach Program in Vernon. Since the launch:

Left: Jessica and Kim practice drawing naloxone into a syringe. Right: Hands-on training allows participants to practice giving a naloxone injection using a stuffed toy or an orange.

16

629

42 396

In March 2014 Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops became the first emergency department in Canada to provide

overdose prevention and response training, and naloxone kits to at-risk patients. Learn more in Hospital News.

The community of Vernon has one of the highest reported overdose reversal rates in the province thanks in large part to the Take Home Naloxone program and the Cammy Lafleur Street Outreach program.

2015

Rewarding bright ideas in health care.

Nominate a deserving person or team today! 9th annual BC Health Care Awards

B C

H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C

H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C

H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C

H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C

H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C

H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C

H E A LT H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C

H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

B C

HEALTH CARE

A W A R D S

B C H E A L T H C A R E

A W A R D S

P R E S E N T E D B Y

The BC Health Care Awards recognize excellence and innovation in

our province’s health care community.

Awards are for projects that improve health care delivery and for

individuals who inspire those around them.

Award categories:

• Top Innovation – Affiliate

• Top Innovation – Health Authority

• Workplace Health Innovation

• Collaborative Solutions

• Health Care Hero (eight winners!)

Learn more & nominate online at BCHealthCareAwards.ca

Nomination deadline: 5 p.m., Friday, February 27, 2015

BCHealthCareAwards.caTwitter.com/@BCHealthAwardsFacebook.com/BCHealthCareAwardsYouTube.com/BCHealthCareAwards

A family member acting as caregiver has many

responsibilities: cooking, cleaning, shopping, banking, feeding, dressing, grooming, mobility

aid, incontinence care, medication management … the list goes on.

Although many families enjoy caring for loved ones, the physical, emotional, and financial consequences can be

overwhelming without support. Caregivers may neglect their own well-being and that, in turn, can affect the

quality of care they provide.

Fortunately, respite care is available to support those

caring for loved ones.

“Respite is intended for genuine relief of caregiver burden.

Interior Health provides a range of services and

information on solutions to help lighten the burden,” says Home Health Director Kathy Chouinor.

Respite services take many forms: adult day programs

in the community, short-stay respite care in residential

facilities, some in-home services, and hospice palliative care.

Sylvia Gandy says her life would be quite different without

respite support. She became her husband Bill’s primary caregiver 14 years ago when he had a stroke.

“Your life can change in an instant,” says Sylvia. “We were living in Prince George. He was still young and he had

always been so active. He was involved in junior hockey and belonged to the Lions, among other things. After the

stroke he was just sitting around, which is the worst thing

you can do.”

Recognizing they needed to make a change, the couple moved to Kelowna. Now, they benefit from milder

weather, Rockets games during hockey season and, most importantly, the Adult Day Services program at the May

Bennett Wellness Centre.

With the support available through the program, Sylvia is

able to maintain her active lifestyle and a busy volunteer schedule. At the same time, the outings provide Bill with

an important opportunity to socialize.

“Without the program, it would be terrible,” says Sylvia.

“Bill goes to the Stroke Recovery Club in Kelowna, but that is only a couple hours each week. The respite program is

amazing. He really enjoys it. The staff are great and the

food is good.

“He also gets bathed once a week. I can’t bathe him and he likes to be able to lie back in the tub and relax. They

give him a cup of coffee to enjoy. Little things like that are so important.”

Sylvia is a strong ambassador for the program. “I would tell anyone who is thinking about it to try it.”

For more information about respite including information

about applicable fees, please visit Respite Care under

Housing & Health at www.interiorhealth.ca. Kelowna residents Bill and Sylvia Gandy regularly access respite care through the Adult Day Services Program at May Bennett Wellness Centre.

W ith Canada’s busiest holiday season just past, many of us will spend January paying off bills for holiday

purchases.

“The credit cards come out so often during the holidays,” says Mark Braidwood, Director of Technology Architecture & Services and Information Privacy & Security. “It’s important to be extra vigilant about protecting your

financial information. Whether you shop online or in a store, there are many scams out there aiming to steal your

identity.”

Identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it to impersonate you and conduct fraudulent financial transactions without your consent.

Techniques to steal your identity include everything from stealing your mail and looking for personal information you

throw out, to using the internet or email to trick the unsuspecting into giving away personal information. Individuals

who fall victim often do not realize what has happened to them or the seriousness of this crime.

“These criminals can use your stolen personal or financial information to access your bank accounts, apply for loans and credit cards, make purchases, or receive government benefits,” says Mark. “It’s alarming to see the havoc they

can cause with a few pieces of your personal information. I’ve seen it happen all too often.”

Unfortunately, several IH staff and physicians have fallen victim to these schemes. As one of the largest employers

in the Interior, IH’s Information Privacy & Security team has been collaborating with the RCMP on their ongoing investigations.

“Rest assured that your personal information at Interior Health is kept strictly confidential and is protected by various

security systems and administrative controls,” says Mark.

Follow these tips to increase your chances of not being a victim:

Be suspicious of unsolicited emails, phone calls, or mail asking for your personal information.

Carry only the identity documents you absolutely need.

Periodically check your credit reports, bank and credit card statements, and report any irregularities promptly.

to the relevant financial institution and to the credit bureaus.

Always shield your personal identification number when using an ATM or a PIN pad.

Shred personal and financial documents.

When you change your address, make sure you notify the post office and all relevant financial institutions.

Check out the Identity Theft/Fraud tip sheet on InsideNet and BC Government’s Security Awareness web page.

If you suspect identity theft has happened to you, contact your local police department immediately. “The best thing you can do is to avoid it in the first place,” says Mark.

“Read our tip sheet for suggestions and be extra vigilant about how you store, share, and dispose of your personal and

financial information. A little bit of caution might help you to avoid a major hassle down the road.”

ngagement is alive and well at IH!

That’s what Flat Stanley, Engagement Apprentice, has learned during his eight-

month journey throughout our region.

“There are so many people in our organization

that make a difference every day,” says Flat Stanley. “It has truly been an inspiration to see the

teamwork that goes on and the genuine level of kindness we have towards each other.”

Flat Stanley, as a representative of engagement,

began his travels in May 2014. Along the way, he

met with employees to find out what they do at work, how they engaged with one another, and

the individual value they bring to their workplaces.

“Thank you to everyone who showed me around.”

See all the photos of Flat Stanley’s adventures

posted on our Facebook page.

At Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail, Flat Stanley spent time in Diagnostic Imaging with X-Ray Technologist Kyrstan Grunerud (L) and in the Intensive Care Unit with Dr. Jeff Hussey (R).

@IH: Tell us a little about your role in IH. My role is unique in that I work in both acute and community. I am an Emergency Department RN at EKRH in Cranbrook, and I also provide nursing services at the Kimberley Primary Health Care Centre as well as live in Kimberley. @IH: Are you from Kimberley originally? I’ve lived and worked in Kimberley, and for Interior Health, for 11 years. Originally, I’m from Selkirk, Manitoba. @IH: Between your two roles, what is most important to you? Working in both acute and community gives me the opportunity to help navigate a patient through the hospital and assist in their transition back into the community. I’m also able to share my acute-care skills that I practice in the ED, when I am working in the Kimberley community. @IH: Working at EKRH, do any changes stand out you? The biggest change was to become regionalized with the rest of Interior Health and with the East Kootenays. The amount of patients and our workload increased, but with that also came more health-care specialists. Now, we have a great team of nurses and doctors here, who really embody a team approach. @IH: Is there anything exciting happening? Right now, the Intensive Care Unit is being renovated – it will be so great. The unit often struggles because of the limited space; this will be a huge improvement and a wonderful change. @IH: What makes for a really great day at work? For me, it’s being able to communicate with patients and understand their needs. Then to provide the right care and

see them get better. Like in the Kimberley Well Women clinic, I can connect with women, educate and share things they didn’t know, and they have the opportunity to ask questions about their health. I feel like I’ve made a difference. @IH: Final thoughts or words you live by? Every day – go above and beyond.

Tracy Carroll (L) with colleague and “nurse extraordinaire” Catherine Blake, Congestive Heart Failure nurse.

Tracy Carroll, ED RN

Cranbrook

East Kootenay Regional Hospital

Gathered from 2013-2014 data

110,502 Meals to patients — equivalent

to three meals daily, for a family

of four, for 25 years.

22,176 Unscheduled emergency

department visits

47 Years old

22 Permanent ED nurses

(Jan. 2015)

69 Acute care beds 429

Babies born

4,800,000 Kilowatts per hour — enough

energy to run a fridge for

6,400 years.

McCulloch Lake Submitted by: Glenn Coello

Covering over 215,000 square kilometres, Interior Health is diverse in nature and composed of vibrant urban centres

and unique rural communities. Our spotlight photos are submitted by employees taken throughout our health region.

Submit your photos of the beautiful places that make up IH to: InsideNetWebmaster@interiorhealth.ca.

Where We Live & Work ... A Spotlight on Our Communities

Crystal Mountain Submitted by: Tina Leibel

Shuswap Lake Submitted by: Donna Wright

Nakusp Submitted by: Lorna Henschke

Sun Peaks Submitted by: Carole Pugle

The public got a sneak peek at the new Interior Heart & Surgical Centre (IHSC) through the eyes of the media thanks to a tour led by the KGH Foundation; Dr. Mike Ertel, Chief of Staff; Dr. Guy Fradet, Medical Director Cardiac Program (pictured here); Dr. Gary Goplen, and Sharon Cook, Health Service Administrator. Opening next fall, the IHSC will be home to cardiac; thoracic; urology; neurosurgery; vascular; plastics; obstetrics/gynecology; ears, nose and throat; orthopedics; and general and trauma surgeries. It will also feature a hybrid OR that will allow minimally invasive surgery to be performed under the guidance of specialized digital imaging. The fourth floor perinatal unit will open in spring 2016.

Kelowna General Hospital's Renal department employees dressed as Wizard of Oz characters to promote a Kidney Independence Day event. The

“There’s No Place Like Home” theme was “awesome” according to attendees. The decorations

and costumes received great feedback. The following Oz characters were present (L-R): Glinda

(Karen Forsberg), Dorothy and Toto (Lauren Gardner), The Wizard (Susan Haskett), and the

Cowardly Lion (Laurie Munday).

snapshots from the region ...

Employees from the Elkford Health Care Centre, along with two supporters, participated in the Dirty Sneakers Adult Volleyball Tournament fundraiser for sports at the Elkford secondary school. Their team, Eballa, was named in awareness of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the Ebola preparedness going on across IH. It was an afternoon of fun, exercise, and team spirit. Although they didn’t place in the tourney, the Eballa crew came

in third for best costume.

Kimberley Health Centre staff and patients have good reason to be grateful to the Kimberley Health Auxiliary,

which always seems to be there at the right time to

make the perfect donation.

Here (L-R), Public Health Nurse Amy Blerot, Auxiliary Secretary Heather Mackenzie, Home Health Nurse Mary

Longston, and Primary Health Nurse Tracy Carroll gather around Auxiliary President Jacquie Perrault sitting in the

latest donation, a comfortable chair for patients.

Overlander Extended Care manager Denise Slevin and assistant manager Matt Renfrew ensured that one of their employees, care aide Tianna Braaten, was properly rewarded for her commitment

to quitting smoking by giving her a day off with pay on Dec. 9.

Denise and Matt took on Tianna's duties instead – although we hear that Tianna did check up on them, to see if they were doing

her work properly! The reward was the grand prize in Overlander’s staff smoking cessation campaign held in the summer.

Visit www.quitnow.ca for more smoking cessation resources.

The Royal Inland Hospital chain gang was hauled away in the RCMP paddy wagon on Nov. 27 as part of Kamloops’ annual Jail and Bail event. The suspicious-looking lot, comprised of employees, physicians and administrators, had a lot of fun while raising a total of $9,959 in donations for the United Way. This is a favourite charity for employees of Interior Health as it supports many pivotal agencies and programs that benefit IH patients and clients. (Photo credit: Kim Anderson/United Way).

cancer.ca

Limit salt and sugar

... to reduce your risk of cancer.