St. Charles is bringing critical pediatric health care closer to home by now offering outpatient pediatric infusion and transfusion services within the inpatient pediatric unit at St. Charles Bend.
Families would previously have to travel to Portland or to specialists even further away to receive treatment as the St. Charles primary outpatient infusion center is unable to treat patients under the age of 18.
The new services were the result of the collaboration and dedication of the St. Charles pediatric teams. Suzanne Mendez, Clinical Division Director of Pediatrics for St. Charles, worked closely with outside care teams and specialists to bring these much-needed treatments to Central Oregon. Dr. Mendez and her team also worked to create greater awareness among local pediatricians and care teams about the availability of these services and coordinate closely between a child’s primary care provider and specialty teams.
Available treatments include blood and platelet transfusions, iron infusions, enzyme therapies to slow disease progression and infusions for autoimmune diseases. These therapies cover a broad range of chronic medical conditions and autoimmune and genetic disorders and are essential for managing complex conditions and significantly improving quality of life.
"In collaboration with our outpatient providers, it is wonderful to have this Pediatric Infusion and Transfusion service right here in our community. Having access to these resources close to home makes a world of difference for families," said Dr. Suzanne Mendez, Clinical Division Director of Pediatrics.
