News & Updates
Up-to-date information on news and events in Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority.
To stay up to date on Interlake-Eastern RHA news, click here to subscribe to our community In Good Health newsletter.
Now includes infants six months to 12 months of age
As the number of measles cases in Manitoba continues to increase, the province has broadened eligibility for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to include infants from six months to under 12 months of age residing in Southern Health-Santé Sud (SH-SS) and Interlake Eastern Regional Health Authority (IERHA).
This vaccine is also now available to children aged six months to under 12 months of age who travel regularly to and have close contact with residents of the SH-SS or IERHA health regions. Read more.
Youth in the Interlake-Eastern region are invited to reflect on reconciliation through an artwork contest.
Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority is launching an artwork contest for students in grades 5 to 12 in advance of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which takes place on Sept. 30.
This day honours children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
To acknowledge National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority is seeking artwork submissions designed by youth. All designs must be original and fit on a landscape-oriented paper (8.5 inches wide by 11 inches high).
Winning entries will be digitally redrawn for printing. All submissions become property of IERHA. The contest is open to youth residents in the regions as well as family members of IERHA employees.
The artwork will be made available to IERHA staff during the month of September to use as backgrounds for virtual meetings and computer screens.
To enter, visit https://www.ierha.ca/forms/artwork-contest/. For those without access to a computer to submit the entry, they can call 1-855-347-8500 for other options.
Selected entries will receive $100.
The submission deadline is June 16.
The number of measles cases is rising locally, nationally and internationally. The majority of cases are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children who have been exposed in their communities. If you know your/your child’s immunization status and if you’d like to secure a measles vaccination, or if you want to confirm your immunization status contact your health care provider or your public health nurse in your local community health office.
The Province of Manitoba’s Measles Update #6 includes measles exposure sites located in Interlake-Eastern Health. Read more.
Shared Health is further enhancing care for patients in rural Manitoba with the expansion of the Community Paramedic Program to Brandon and Selkirk, helping ensure more Manitobans can be connected to the care and community services they need. Read more
Congratulations are in order for a long-standing physician who earned an award to recognize her exemplary service and expertise in the community.
Dr. Michele Matter is being recognized by Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority with a Physician Emeritus Award. Physician colleagues and community members had the chance to submit nominations for the prestigious award. Matter received a range of nominations, including from several paramedics, the team at the Selkirk Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinic, Ekosi Health Centre and leadership in Gimli.
“It is an incredible honour to be nominated for the Physician Emeritus Award and an absolute thrill to be chosen as this year’s recipient,” Dr. Matter said.
“It’s an unexpected yet very satisfying acknowledgment of the many years of hard work I put into my practice as well as the leadership and teaching I did.”
With more than 35 years of experience as a physician, Dr. Matter graduated from the University of Cape Town in December 1989. She worked for four years in Cape Town before leaving South Africa.
From there, her first stop was Scotland to pursue post-graduate education in pediatrics. That’s where she met a South African doctor who had been working in the Manitoba community of Leaf Rapids. That doctor told her about a job opportunity in Lynn Lake, where Dr. Matter ended up working for six years. It’s also where she met her partner, an RCMP officer who ended up being transferred to Gimli.
Thanks to a chance comment from Dr. Colin Nisbet, a previous chief of Selkirk ER who was teaching a course in Lynn Lake, Dr. Matter applied for a position in Selkirk’s emergency department. She got the job and worked there for the next 25 years before retiring in December 2023.
Since then, Dr. Matter has continued to work part time as a family doctor in Gimli and an addictions medicine provider at the RAAM clinic in Selkirk.
Some of her career highlights include being chosen as chief of staff or site lead at three hospitals in two regions of Manitoba —Lynn Lake, Gimli and Selkirk. She also had 10 years of experience teaching and providing on-call support for paramedics as their medical director.
In addition, Dr. Matter had the chance to work in Canada’s North, flying in to communities such as Brochet, Lac Brochet, Tadoule Lake and Pukatawagan to provide care.
“It was an incredible honour to have travelled where so few have, been able to see and appreciate the remote wilderness of the North and work with the amazing peoples who live there,” she said.
At the same time, her career helped create connections within the community while providing longitudinal care. She enjoyed the “absolute thrill and excitement” of the ER, as well as the satisfaction of getting to really know her patients in family medicine.
“Medicine has also given me the opportunity to volunteer my skills at many high-level sporting events, including the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, World Women’s Hockey Championships and the Pan Am Games, amongst others. Imagine going to work on a ski-lift,” she said.
“My newest love is the incredible joy of helping people overcome addictions and maintain sobriety, one of the most difficult things I think humans have to go through. These are not weak people; they are amongst the strongest I know. It is such an honour to be able to offer them the slightest support.”
When reflecting on her career, Dr. Matter shared some words of gratitude.
She described Dr. Colin Nisbet, previous chief of ER in Selkirk, as “the most amazing medical mentor a person could wish for.”
She also pointed to the positive impact of FeminEM, an informal WhatsApp group of the female physicians who worked together in the Selkirk ER through COVID and continue to provide each other with support and advice.
In addition, Dr. Matter is grateful for Dr. Shelley Turner, who taught her to dream big and encouraged her to always approach life with curiosity and kindness.
“To my patients who made all this possible, a huge debt of gratitude and love for the wonderful opportunities,” she said.
“To my teachers and mentors who made me the physician I am today, I couldn’t have done it without them. So when my turn came to take over those roles, it was done with humility and gratitude for those who led me.”
Dr. Scott Gregoire, Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority’s regional lead of medical services and chief medical officer, shared gratitude for Dr. Matter’s contributions.
“Dr. Matter has served the community and has be the model for professionalism, competence and mentorship,” he said.
“On a personal note, she has been an absolute pleasure to work with and her care to patients is exemplary. To work with her has been a privilege.”
A spring COVID-19 vaccination program is running from May 1 to June 30. An additional dose will be available to individuals who received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine since fall 2024 and meet one of the following criteria:
- Adults 65 years of age and older
- Indigenous people 45 years of age and older
- Adult residents of long-term care homes and congregate living settings for seniors
- Individuals 6 months of age and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised
For more information, please contact your local community health office
by Marcy Timchishen, R.N., B.N., Interlake-Eastern RHA’s immunization coordinator
National Immunization Week takes place April 21 to 30, 2025. As measles cases continue to make a resurgence throughout Canada and around the world, it is important for Manitobans to check if they are up to date with their measles vaccinations.
Only a few decades ago, there was no way to protect yourself from devastating diseases such as polio, tetanus, diphtheria and meningitis – or wildly contagious infections such as measles. Outcomes were inescapably tragic, leading to lifelong paralysis, stillbirth, neurodegenerative disease, encephalitis and even death.
Vaccines changed this landscape. As time progressed, more and more diseases became preventable by vaccination and health outcomes greatly improved. Prior to the implementation of measles vaccination, the peak national case count in Canada during the 1950s was 61,370. In the late 2000s, case counts dropped to 752 proving that measles vaccination is highly effective.
Despite these statistics, an immense amount of misinformation continues to circulate in communities and across social media platforms.
Myth: Measles isn’t a big deal.
Fact: Measles is highly contagious and 1 in 10 people who catch measles will develop a serious infection and experience complications such as pneumonia, ear infections or more severe infections such as brain inflammation or damage.
Myth: Measles vaccine, given as measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), causes autism
Fact: False. No evidence has ever showed that the MMR vaccine causes autism. This myth was fabricated by a UK doctor who falsified studies and data. No other studies have found a link between MMR and autism.
Myth: No one catches measles anymore.
Fact: Measles cases are rising throughout the world, country and province. Vaccination is the only way to protect yourself from measles.
When making a decision to vaccinate, you want to make sure that you are making a choice based on fact and not “hearsay.” Talking to a professional for answers for any questions you might have can be very helpful. There are also many sources of information that are scientific, such as reputable health-related sites — Manitoba Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care or BC Health — that provide balanced and accurate information. Blog sites and social networks such as Facebook, are often not scientific-based nor necessarily factual.
With the current measles situation, it is important to know the following:
1. Early symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, cough and red eyes. The most recognized symptom of measles is a red, blotchy rash, which often begins on the face and spreads down the body. Measles illness is serious, especially for young children, those that are pregnant and those with a weakened immune system.
2. Measles is very contagious. Immunization is the best way to protect your child(ren) against it. In Manitoba, children can receive two doses of a measles vaccine free of charge.
Any time is a good time to speak to your health care provider or public health nurse about updating your children’s or your own measles vaccine as well as any other eligible vaccines.
If you have questions regarding your own or your child’s immunization records, want to schedule an appointment or are unsure if all immunizations are up to date, please contact your local public health nurse. Contact information is available at www.ierha.ca under “Find Us” and then click on “Community Health Offices”.
For more information regarding immunization information on the internet see “Can you trust what you read?”
Recommended vaccination schedules for children and adults can be found on the Province of Manitoba’s routine immunization schedules webpage
Creating ripples of positive change together
The theme for volunteer appreciation is “Volunteers Make Waves.”
“Each of our volunteers contributes to the health care system in their own way. People who donate their time, energy and personal resources to help others are inspiring. Volunteers make communities stronger and healthier through the connections they make and the people they help. Together volunteers generate waves of positive change and we are grateful for all that they do,” says Interlake-Eastern RHA CEO, Marion Ellis.
Interlake-Eastern Health’s board chair, Michele Polinuk, identifies that health care offers many ways to contribute to enhancing people’s lives.
“If you or someone you know is looking to make a difference in the community and be of help to patients, residents and staff members, we have many different opportunities available. We thank and applaud each volunteer for their service throughout the year,” Polinuk said.
Interlake-Eastern Health’s recreation program, palliative care program and spiritual care program are all seeking volunteers. Assistance is needed with friendly visiting, reading, offering activities and crafts, assisting with meal times, helping with transportation and more. Specific opportunities are also available in some health facilities and with community partners such seniors resource councils.
The palliative care program is seeking volunteers for Camp Stepping Stones, an annual grief camp for children held at Camp Arnes, that runs May 30 to June 1 this year. To identify interest in volunteering, please contact Barb Ramsay, Interlake-Eastern RHA’s volunteer coordinator, [email protected], 1-855-494-7369.
Starting April 30 to June 25, the spiritual care program is running a “Spirit of Caring” training course every Wednesday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. People who complete training are eligible to become spiritual health care volunteers in Interlake-Eastern Health. To identify interest in this training, please contact Ferdinand Funk, regional spiritual health services coordinator by phoning 204-461-3414 or emailing [email protected] by April 25, 2025.
Learn more about other volunteer opportunities by visiting www.ierha.ca and click on About Us > Community Involvement > Volunteer-opportunities.
-30-
Advanced care paramedic program being introduced into rural Manitoba
The Manitoba government is strengthening emergency care across rural and northern Manitoba through the introduction of advanced care paramedics (ACPs) throughout the province, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today. Read more on how this announcement will benefit Interlake-Eastern Health.
Interlake-Eastern Health spiritual care course being offered this spring
Interlake-Eastern Health is hosting a nine-week course in spiritual care starting April 30. Sessions will be led by Ferdinand Funk, the health region’s spiritual health care coordinator, who will be joined by a number of invited speakers.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about your own spirituality while gaining some valuable insights on how to support someone who may be going through a difficult time due to failing health or older age,” Funk said.
The number of registrants and their location will determine if the course will be virtual or in-person at a convenient location or possibly a combination of the two.
Anyone who completes training is eligible to become a spiritual care volunteer in Interlake-Eastern Health’s hospitals or personal care homes.
“People who are interested in giving back to their community by visiting patients and long term care residents may find this training interesting and helpful. The course is very well suited to those contemplating retirement and seeking meaningful opportunities to connect with others,” Funk said.
Funk, who is a certified spiritual care practitioner with a master of divinity degree, says he is always amazed at the wealth of personal experience and wisdom that students bring with them to the course.
“It is encouraging to observe how well connected many students are with their own community, and the immediate impact they have when they sign up to become volunteers,” Funk said.
Training focuses on respecting the beliefs and values of individuals regardless of their spiritual or religious preference. People will gain a greater appreciation for the spiritual and emotional needs of patients and residents and the diversity in spirituality and religion including Indigenous history, culture and spirituality.
Currently, Interlake-Eastern Health has 25 spiritual care volunteers in the region and, according to Funk, more volunteers are always welcomed.
“Patients and personal care home residents benefit from being able to discuss how their current situation affects them spiritually and emotionally. We are always looking for volunteers who will listen without judgment and without the need to fix someone,” Funk said.
For more information, contact Ferdinand Funk at [email protected] or 204-461-3414 or register online.
