Interior Health officials completed a short tour of a number of municipalities within its jurisdiction with a stop in Keremeos on Wednesday, December 4.
Dr. Robert Halpenny, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Norman Embree, Interior Health Board of Directors Chair, spent the afternoon at the Similkameen Health Centre where they met with local politicians and health care professionals.
“It’s always good to have a look at our facilities, walk around and meet staff,” Halpenny said of the visit.
Halpenny was impressed with Keremeos’ health facility.
“I was very impressed with the good work they do in residential care,” he said, “I noticed that staff interact very well with residents. I’s also good to have physicians here in the same building - it’s one stop shopping.
I think things are working very well in this location.”
Halpenny was also surprised by the extent of Keremeos’ health and community support organizations.
“I was very impressed by the Lower Similkameen Community Services Society,” he said, “ I wasn’t aware of the organization in the community before. The services they provide and the volunteers’ commitment to the community is outstanding.”
Halpenny defended Interior Health’s food sourcing policies for it’s institutional kitchens. The policy has been criticized locally for not using locally available fruit, vegetables and meat in care facilities such as Orchard Haven.
“Interior Health leads the province in purchasing locally,” he said, noting such examples as local cheeses, sausage and carrots that were sourced out of the Okanagan. He added that Interior Health researched to find the most nutritious method available to flash freeze foods prior to use.
“It all depends on what you mean by local,” he said, “quite a bit of it is local.”
Regarding the subject of Interior Health’s 4,3,2,1 program regarding surface water treatment, Halpenny said that “changes were coming” on surface water regulation.
“We don’t make the rules,but we try to enforce them,” he said, “the issue of surface water is becoming a source of concern.”
Ivor Norlin, Interior Health Manager for the Health Protection Program, said the province had recently issued new provincial drinking water objectives for surface water, and work was underway to standardize objectives across the province.
“The 4,3,2,1 objective in Interior Health policy,” Norlin said, “we’re in the process of looking at our large water systems to ensure that our objectives meet those of the province.”
Norlin said he didn’t anticipate any big changes in policy as a result, but Interior Health would be issuing a report to water suppliers in the new year.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to conduct an inventory, to see where our water suppliers are,” he said, “it provides us with a chance to check on ourselves.”
Interior Health oversees 106 large surface water systems in their region. A large water system is one with 500 or more subscribers.