Care home residents in fire area relocated

Interior Health is taking proactive measures to protect patients, clients, residents and staff from the Christie Mountain fire.

The fire between Penticton and Okanagan Falls is 2,000 hectares with 319 homes under evacuation order, and another 3,700 homes under evacuation alert.

Braemore Lodge is within the evacuation zone and Interior Health is relocating nine of its residents and accompanying care teams to Mount Ida Mews long-term care home in Salmon Arm.

Out of an abundance of caution, IH has activated its internal emergency operation centre and prepared contingency plans in the event the evacuation zone is expanded. This includes efforts to reduce patient occupancy at the Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH).

The following efforts are already underway:

Nearby hospitals throughout the region are preparing to receive patient transfers from Penticton Regional Hospital in the event it is ordered to evacuate.

Intensive care unit (ICU) patients from PRH have been transferred to Kelowna General Hospital to ensure their care is seamlessly continued.

Surgical patients requiring overnight stays are being rescheduled and replaced with patients awaiting surgical day procedures.

Actively planning alternate locations for potentially impacted long-term care homes in the event they are required to evacuate.

People receiving IH community services within the evacuation alert zone will continue to receive support and the PRH remains open to receive urgent trauma and emergency patients.

“We have proactively identified people in isolation due to COVID-19. If the evacuation zone is expanded, we will ensure everyone who needs to remain isolated will be supported in developing a safe isolation plan separate from the general public,” stated a news release from Interior Health .

The Evacuation Centre, located at 199 Ellis St. Penticton, has COVID-19 screening measures in place to ensure the safety of evacuees and community members.