Camp Stepping Stones

Camp Stepping Stones will be back in person from May 30 – June 1, 2025 and is looking for volunteers and campers! This camp is geared for kids aged seven to 17 who have recently lost a parent or somebody close to them.

Volunteers create a safe environment for kids to explore their grief alongside other youth who are also grieving.

“Volunteers are welcome to come for the weekend or for a few hours,” said Barb Ramsay, Palliative Care Volunteer Coordinator. “We are looking for volunteers to come to camp to help the campers with craft activities on Saturday and Sunday morning.”

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can fill out an application form. Different volunteer options are available, such as serving as cabin leaders and helping with activities.

In addition to volunteers, Camp is also still accepting applications for campers are also available at:

https://www.ierha.ca/programs-services/palliative-care/camp-stepping-stones/

For more information, contact Barb at [email protected], 1-855-494-7369 or 204-785-7542 or visit:

https://www.ierha.ca/programs-services/palliative-care/camp-stepping-stones/

Public health officials with Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care are notifying the public of a confirmed measles case, unrelated to previously announced cases. Read more.

Assiniboine College celebrated the grand opening of its rural rotating Practical Nursing site in Beausejour. Read more: Assiniboine College celebrates grand opening for Practical Nursing rural rotating site in Beausejour | Assiniboine College

We are seeking your input to inform the renovation of E. M. Crowe Memorial Hospital’s emergency room in Eriksdale.

Public information session

Come and speak with project leads on Thursday, March 6 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Eriksdale Recreation Centre, #2-1st Ave.

Everybody welcome!

If you have any questions, concerns or accessibility needs, please contact us at [email protected].

Public health officials with Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care are notifying the public of five confirmed cases of measles in southern Manitoba, all connected to an outbreak in Ontario. These cases involve five individuals living within the same household, all of whom were contacts of lab-confirmed cases while recently traveling in Ontario. The individuals have been asked to isolate at home. See locations where there is recent known potential for exposure to measles virus.

Time to ensure childhood vaccinations are up to date? Contact a community health office near you.

The Manitoba government is welcoming Interlake residents to weigh in on the design and development of the new Eriksdale emergency room at a project open house on March 6 at the Eriksdale Recreation Centre, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today. Read more

HAVE 5 MINUTES FOR A SURVEY? Provide your thoughts on priorities for the redesign of E.M. Crowe Memorial Hospital’s emergency room – TAKE THE SURVEY NOW

Renovating E.M. Crowe Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Room

Physician, staff and community input:

Feedback from residents and staff is influencing the design of the emergency department renovations. Feedback was captured through a public survey that generated 142 responses as well as in-person information sessions in Eriksdale on March 6, 2025 with approximately 150 staff members, physicians and members of the public.

Community based comments are being integrated into designs to ensure the needs of area residents and staff are reflected and that the new space enhances patient care.

Six themes have arisen from feedback collected. The following is a summary of feedback received. Project scope allows for focus on structural elements of the renovations:

1. Facility & infrastructure improvements

Streamline entry, waiting, and ER pathways • Separate and clearly mark entrances: dedicated ER, visitor and ambulance entrances • Proximity and visibility: ER should be closer to nursing stations for better monitoring • Improved signage and wayfinding: better directional signage • Expanded ER space: larger treatment areas and an increase in patient rooms/beds • Waiting area enhancements: more seating, privacy, and comfort features.

2. Privacy & safety measures

• Increased patient privacy: separate areas for ER patients, visitors, and grieving families • Dedicated family and grieving spaces: safe, private rooms for families in distress • Enhanced security features: secure nurse stations, emergency call systems and isolation areas for crisis patients

3. Staffing & medical services

• More staff needed • Improved staff workspaces: larger workstations, better break rooms and overnight staff accommodations • Extended ER hours: many respondents requested 24/7 ER operation • Recruitment and retention efforts: competitive wages, incentives and staff housing solutions needed

4. Technology & equipment upgrades

• Modernized medical equipment: Investment in new diagnostic tools and imaging systems • Technology integration: implementation of digital systems • Better resource allocation: improved lab and diagnostic services for faster patient care

5. Patient experience & comfort

• Better waiting conditions: separate waiting rooms for critical and non-critical cases • Entertainment and transparency: TVs, wait time displays and better communication for patients • Improved accessibility: wider doorways, wheelchair accessible bathrooms and better patient movement/flow.

6. Operational & long term considerations

• Future-proofing the ER: design considerations for future healthcare needs and community growth • Community-centered decision making: strong demand for ongoing community consultation • Balancing renovation and staffing issues

Manitobans can now apply for a modernized plastic health card online, Health, Seniors and Long-term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara and Innovation and New Technology Minister Mike Moroz announced today. Learn how to apply for your card.

Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (IERHA) leadership was made aware of a social media post disparaging the search for the remains of murdered Indigenous women. Multiple staff members recognized the post as racist and brought it forward to leadership.

An immediate investigation confirmed the post was linked to an IERHA employee. Direction was given to remove the post and the employee is now no longer working with IERHA.

Posts of this nature are deeply hurtful. We remain committed to reconciliation, anti-racism and to mitigating further harms through swift and decisive action.

Interlake-Eastern Health is now accepting nominations for this year’s Physician Emeritus Award.

Physicians who are retired or have reduced their practice in preparation for retirement are eligible for nomination if they have provided exemplary service and expertise to their communities.

The nomination can be submitted by either physician colleagues or by community members.

Nominations should have three signatures and a paragraph about why the physician should be considered for the award.

The regional Medical Advisory Committee will consider nominations and make the final decision about granting the designation based on the considerations listed above. The award will be presented at the annual physician dinner in April.

“As a medical professional, there is no higher honour than being recognized by the community you serve or the colleagues you work with daily,” said Dr. Charles Penner, regional lead of medical services and chief medical officer, Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (RHA). “I look forward to the nominations of physicians in the region who go above and beyond every day for their patients.”

Have a physician in mind? Nominations should take into account the following factors:

Length of service (commitment to the community)Scope of service

Recognition of exemplary skill by colleagues

Recognition by the community
Demonstration of the Interlake-Eastern RHA values in their practice (always with compassion, success in collaboration, accountability in everything we do, acting with integrity and respectful of each other)

Please send nominations to Jennifer St. Laurent at [email protected] by February 7, 2025.

The regional Medical Advisory Committee will consider nominations and determine award recipients.

Award recipients will be recognized in-person at the annual physician dinner in April.

For past winners and other information, please see: Physician Emeritus Awards – Interlake-Eastern RHA

The first baby of 2025 arrived at Selkirk Regional Health Centre at 2:12 a.m. on New Year’s day.

Local to Selkirk, Tisha Hanson welcomed daughter Azayla who weighed seven pounds and 13 ounces and was 19.75 inches long.

Hanson says they had a good experience in the Selkirk obstetrical unit thanks to the staff.

“The staff were really good with her and me. They did everything I needed.,” Hanson said.

Chair of the Selkirk Hospital Gift Shop volunteers, Betty Milkowski, and volunteer Bev Hykawy maintained a tradition by gifting Azayla and mom with diapers, playpen, toys, blankets and clothing to celebrate the arrival of the first baby of 2025. Milkowski said the volunteers make the gift tradition possible.

“The most important thing is all the work that the volunteers do to help us. They make it possible for us to donate and help. This has been going on since the first hospital was built in Selkirk and the original ladies auxiliary was founded. Congratulations to Tisha and her new baby girl,” Milkowski said.

Dr. Bunkowsky attended the delivery. In 2024, 443 babies were born at Selkirk Regional Health Centre. Anyone interested in delivering with Selkirk’s obstetrics unit is invited to call 204.482.5800 for more information and to arrange a tour.

As part of our commitment to better service, we will begin collecting email addresses and cellphone numbers at hospital registration in our region starting January 6, 2025. We value your privacy and will only contact you from time to time for things like appointment reminders, to share educational material tailored to your care, or for occasional opportunities to share feedback.

Please visit Email Collection – Shared Health to learn more.

Emergency room wait times for Interlake-Eastern Health’s hospitals, including Selkirk Regional Health Centre, are currently not posted publicly. We are working to make this information available.

Interlake-Eastern Health does not endorse any emergency department wait time information provided online for its hospitals. The accuracy of this information can not be verified and it should not contribute to decision making regarding a visit to a hospital emergency room. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number. To see the status of emergency departments in the region, please visit this emergency department schedule page.

Please note the following sites may be affected by holiday hours.

RAAM Clinic – Closed Dec. 25 & 26

Clinics – hours are posted here: https://www.ierha.ca/find-us/

Community Health Offices – Call before attending the week of Dec. 23-27. Phone numbers are listed here: https://www.ierha.ca/find-us/

Quick Care Clinic – Closed at 5 p.m. on Dec. 24 and closed Dec. 25

Emergency Department Schedules: Visit: https://www.ierha.ca/emergency-department-schedules/

Diagnostic Labs: All sites closed at noon on Dec. 24. Closed all day Dec. 25, 26 and Jan. 1
https://www.ierha.ca/programs-services/primary-health-care/diagnostics/

If you or a family member require non-urgent health care services, some doctors’ offices and clinics in the region offer extended hours care and same day appointments. Contact your local doctor’s office for appointment informati on.

Selkirk QuickCare clinic is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and most holidays. (Closed Christmas Day). Call 204-482-4399 to make a same-day appointment. Phones answered starting at 9:30 a.m.

For minor ailments and non-life threatening concerns virtual care is available through QDoc, a free, provincially funded, online platform that connects patients to doctors by video. Visit qdoc.ca for more information.

Some pharmacists have additional training that allows them to provide medications for conditions such as rashes or acne and some infections like recurring bladder infections. Please call before you attend to confirm the service you are seeking is available and that you are a candidate for treatment. To find a pharmacy near you, visit https://cphm.alinityapp.com/Client/CorporationDirectory.

Health Links – Info Santé is staffed with registered nurses and nurse practitioners who are available 24 hours a day every day of the year. Depending on patients’ described condition and community location in Manitoba, nurses can provide clinical guidance to contact a family physician or a walk-in clinic, present to an emergency department or to an urgent care centre and they can provide advice on self-care treatments at home. Call toll-free 1-888-315-9257.

If you’re caring for a sick child with a fever, visit www.ierha.ca and select “Patient Information” > “Where to go” > “Kid Care”. Helpful short videos featuring Dr. Andrea Wilkie-Gilmore, a pediatric emergency physician at Health Sciences Centre, will help to navigate questions about fever, symptoms, medicating and when to bring a child for emergency care.

Anyone experiencing mental health or addiction concerns can call Interlake-Eastern Health’s 24 Hour Crisis Line at 1-866-427-8628. Other mental health resources are profiled at www.ierha.ca > Programs & Services > Mental Health & Addictions.

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, always call 911. In the event you need to visit an emergency department, visit “Emergency Dept. Schedules” to see emergency department status within the Interlake-Eastern health region. You can also call 1-886-267-5818 to select your community of choice and listen to a recorded message on emergency department status.