The new chair of Interior Health says the biggest story of 2017 was the wildfires that tore across the province.
Nineteen hospitals, health centres, and care homes were evacuated, although none in our area.
Dr. Doug Cochrane, who was appointed in September, says he’s been getting up speed on the organization.
Cochrane says the other public health crisis was the number of opioid overdoses. More than 1,200 people died in BC.
But on the positive side, he points to the creation of eight withdrawal beds in Castlegar in a partnership with Axis Family Resources.
He also notes the Grand Forks/West Boundary primary care transformation initiative which hired five new staff this year.
And the use of telehealth expanded this year to enhance service for mental health and substance use clients throughout the Kootenays.