How do you schedule a sports physical?

During your athlete's appointment, they’ll receive not only their school sports pre-participation exam, but also physical and behavioral health screenings, an eye exam, immunizations—if needed—and health education.

Sports pre-participation forms are required by the Oregon School Activities Association every two years. If your student athlete is due for clearance, contact your primary care provider and schedule a well-care visit today to ensure this is completed before fall sports practices start in mid-August. If your child has had a well-care visit within the last year, contact your primary care provider to find out how to get the pre-participation form completed at no additional cost.

Don't have a primary care provider? Visit our family care clinics page to see hours, locations and contact information for a clinic near you.

For families who do not have health insurance and would like help applying for the Oregon Health Plan, call your county health department or go online to http://www.OregonHealthCare.gov.

What is Comprehensive Primary Care +?

Giving doctors extra support to help you get better care through CPC+, our insurers will give our practice additional resources to help us better manage your care. We hope to provide you the highest quality patient-centered care.

More information for traditional Medicare (Part A and Part B) beneficiaries

To help us take better care of you, Medicare will start sharing some of your personal health information with us. This will help provide us with a more complete picture of your health and allow for better coordination of care.

If you want to stop Medicare from sharing this information, you should call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.

Your Medicare benefits aren’t changing. You still have the right to use or visit any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare, at any time. Your doctor may continue to recommend that you see particular doctors for your specific health needs, but it’s always your choice which doctors you use or hospital you visit.

Questions?

If you have questions or concerns, you can contact us or bring it up next time you’re in the office for an appointment. You can also visit the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services website, contact CPC+ Support at [email protected] or 1-888-372-3280, or call 1-800-MEDICARE with questions.

What is a BHC?

The St. Charles Behavioral Health consultants (BHC) have specialty training in the connection between mind and body when it comes to your health. Our behavioral health team will work with your primary care doctor to consider the physical, behavioral and emotional aspects of your health and help determine a course of action that will work best for you.

What types of health concerns do they address?

Our BHC team can help you reduce your symptoms and better cope with various chronic medical conditions including:

• headaches
• sleep issues
• high blood pressure
• asthma
• diabetes
• obesity
• chronic pain
• irritable bowel syndrome

They can also work with your primary care doctor to create behavioral change plans for smoking cessation, weight loss, alcohol use, exercise and other lifestyle modifications. The behavioral health team can help you develop skills to effectively manage emotional or behavioral difficulties such as anger, anxiety, grief, depression and stress.

Who is eligible to receive these services?

This service is available to all St. Charles Family Care patients.

How is this service different from mental health services?

This is not specialty mental health care. To assist collaboration with your doctor, documentation and recommendations will be written in your medical record; a separate mental health record will not be kept when you see the BHC. Our BHC team does not provide traditional psychotherapy. If you request, or the BHC thinks you would benefit from specialty mental health services, he or she can assist with referrals. Your BHC will make every effort to protect your privacy. However, like all providers, they may have to report information regarding abuse or those they believe to be at risk of harming themselves or others.

What should I expect when I see the behavioral health consultant?

You can expect our BHC to ask specific questions about your physical symptoms, emotional concerns and behaviors. Your appointment will last approximately 30 minutes. At the end of the appointment, the BHC will provide a brief solution focused assessment and treatment. Your BHC has a close working relationship with your doctor, to help you develop and implement the best health care plan for your unique needs.

How do I schedule an appointment with a BHC?

Your doctor can schedule an appointment for you, often on the same day as your doctor’s visit.

At St. Charles Family Care, we are passionate about providing patients with comprehensive medical care close to home. By using our team-based care approach, we work to ensure you receive the treatment you need based on your unique health circumstances.

What to bring to your appointment:

• An insurance card and photo ID
• Consent for medical treatment of a minor (if not accompanied by a parent or guardian)
• A list of current prescriptions and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and supplements
• A list of questions you would like to discuss with your doctor

Services available:

• Routine and preventive care for all ages
• Acute and sick visits
• Adult and child vaccines
• Pediatrics
• Chronic disease management
• Internal medicine
• Behavioral health care
• Woman’s health care including contraception
• Minor surgical services
• Occupational medicine and work injuries
• CDL exams
• Basic dermatology including skin cancer screening and biopsy/removal of concerning skin lesions
• Substance use disorders: Primary care providers partner with clinical psychologists and pharmacists embedded in the Family Clinic to provide behavioral health and medication therapy management support.
• Ready access to specialized services at Bend, La Pine, Madras, Prineville, Redmond and Sisters

Virtual Visits

Now offering Virtual Visits for new and current patients!

Learn more

Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. Charles Bend provides specialized medical care for premature and sick babies with all levels of complications. Our NICU operates at Level III status, serving infants at all stages of gestational development.

As the only designated NICU in the region, we care for fragile newborns from nearby, as well as babies transferred from hospitals across Central and Eastern Oregon.

Your baby’s stay in our unit

St. Charles NICU is committed to giving your baby the highest quality of care. During your baby’s stay, you will see a variety of people at his or her bedside. It is always your right to ask who is helping care for your baby. Please don’t hesitate to introduce yourself, inquire about the role of anyone in your baby’s room or ask questions.

Visitation, privacy and security

All parents and visitors must sign in each day to confirm that they are free of signs of infection and have adhered to infection control standards. Parents and visitors may be asked to present a hospital band or picture ID. Parents are an integral part of the care team. You are welcome and encouraged to visit your baby or call for a report at any time. All other visitors can visit between the hours of 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Housing options

The Bend Ronald McDonald House® is a free home away from home for families of pediatric patients, birth through 21, receiving medical care in Bend. The organization provides a warm bed, a fully stocked kitchen and other amenities. Interested families should contact a hospital social worker at 541-706-6360. Tours of the House That Love Built® are available daily.

Infection prevention in the NICU

Parents and visitors must wash or sanitize their hands following the specific directions for proper hand hygiene. Hand hygiene should take place at the following times:

• Before entering the NICU
• Upon entering or leaving a patient room
• Before and after touching your baby
• After diaper changes and before other care
• After touching surfaces such as furniture, equipment, cell phones or toys
• After using the bathroom

All parents and visitors entering the NICU must be free of signs of infection and contagious disease, including:

• Cough
• Fever
• Rash
• Pink eye or eye discharge
• Runny nose or congestion
• Open sores
• Diarrhea

Parents and visitors must adhere to additional visitor restrictions and/or infection prevention measures, such as wearing gowns, gloves and/or masks when indicated by the baby’s condition or community outbreaks as instructed by the health care team.

Advanced technology

We've created an environment to promote a baby's growth and development, including:

• Circadian lighting that adjusts for a baby's day and night sleep cycles
• "Giraffe" beds that create a womb-like environment for premature babies that are temperature and humidity-controlled and include built-in scales

Family-centered care

We support families during this tender time by making the NICU an oasis of comfort:

• Private and semi-private rooms allow for quiet bonding time.
• Innovative beds allow babies in incubators to be touched.
• Necessary respite is available in a warm and soothing family waiting area.
• Families may stay overnight at the NICU with access to a refrigerator for storing breast milk.

Other important points to remember:

• Up to two visitors (not including parents) will be allowed at the patient’s bedside at one time. All visitors must be with a parent, unless pre-authorized.
• Visitors must be at least 14 years old to enter the NICU, unless they are a brother or sister of the baby. Siblings need to be supervised for safety as well as respect for other families in the NICU.
• Visitors may be asked to leave if they are disruptive to the patient or other visitors.
• Parents will need to follow safety precautions as instructed by the nurse to provide a safe environment for the patient. There is no sleeping on the floors in patient rooms.
• To preserve privacy and confidentiality for yourself and other families, please refrain from entering other patient rooms or asking about other patients.
• We will not give any medical information to anyone other than a parent. A password or band number will be required to obtain information over the phone.
• We make every attempt to protect your right to privacy.

Benefits of donor milk

Breast milk provides optimal nutrition, easy digestibility, growth factors, immunologic protection and infection-fighting components to newborn babies. Donated breast milk is especially helpful to babies who are ill or born prematurely. All donated milk is processed by a certified mothers milk bank and then used to supplement infants whose mothers are unable to produce enough milk.

Women are screened prior to donating and the milk is again tested after processing to ensure its safety.

We proudly work with Northwest Mothers Milk Bank in Portland and use local milk for our local babies.

How to donate

Call the Northwest Mothers Milk Bank 1-800-204-4444 for a brief verbal medical history review.

Complete and return the screening forms sent to you; the milk bank will then send you a donor ID number.

Go to the lab in Redmond or Bend for a free blood draw. Take your donor number with you.

Contact St. Charles lactation services for information about how and when to drop off your frozen breast milk.

For more information, call 541-706-4924 in Bend.

Information and visiting guidelines

We value family-centered care, meaning we consider the whole family when providing care to a pediatric patient. We encourage you to be an active participant in your child’s care. We will do our best to make you as comfortable as possible. The following guidelines are in place to provide a safe, peaceful and healing environment for you, your child and the staff.

Visiting hours

Visiting hours for friends and family on the pediatric unit are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Parents/guardians of the patient are welcome on the unit at any time. For the safety of all our pediatric patients, the pediatric unit is locked. Please press the intercom button outside of the double doors for entry. This button is located to the right of room 506. Once someone answers your call, let us know the name of the patient you are here to see. You will be issued a security code to receive updates on your child over the phone. In special circumstances, you may be asked to provide this code to visit.

After hours

Between the hours of 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. the main hospital entrance is locked. Please use the Emergency Room entrance, check in with security and they will provide you with a visitor badge.

No entry/exit hours

Please plan not to enter or leave the unit from 6:30 a.m. – 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. This is our shift change time when your nurse hands over care of your child to a new nurse coming on shift. We strive for minimal interruptions during this time, so your new nurse can learn everything they need to know about their patient.

Child Life Specialists

Injury, illness and medical treatment can be challenging and stressful, especially for children. St. Charles offers a child life program to help support you and your child during a hospital stay or medical encounter. A child life specialist can help your child with medical and pre-surgery preparation or support for a medical procedure.

Certified child life specialists are educated and trained in the developmental and psychological impact of illness and injury. They work in partnership with families as part of the health care team to meet the psychosocial, emotional and developmental needs of children and adolescents.

Each of our child life specialists has earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree in child development or related field, completed a rigorous internship and maintains their certification from the Child Life Certification Commission.

If you would like to request the support of a child life specialist, please ask your child’s nurse or any member of their care team or call the Child Life Program directly 541-706-2900 ext. 3579.

Tips for families of long-term patients

Your rest is extremely important. If you don’t maintain your own health, you are unable to provide support to your child. We recommend you leave the room twice a day for at least 30 minutes. This can be a walk in the fresh air or a meal in the cafeteria. Please take the time to care for yourself.

Diversional supplies

We have a play room with age-appropriate supplies that can be checked out for your child. We also have gaming systems available for patient use. Each room has a DVD player, and we have movies that may be checked out or you can bring your own. Ask your caregivers for assistance in obtaining any of these supplies. If your child is on isolation, they are not allowed to go to the playroom. However, we are more than happy to bring toys to their room.

Condition help

Condition HELP is a patient safety program that is available should you have concerns about your child’s medical condition and/or care after you have already spoken to the nurse or doctor in charge. You may activate Condition HELP by dialing ext. 3232.

Sleepover guidelines

• During the current COVID-19 visitor restrictions, only ONE visitor may stay overnight. Please read our COVID-19 visitor restrictions page for more information.
• When setting up your foldout bed, please place it on the opposite side of the room from the door.
• Please be awake and have your bed and bedding taken care of by 8:30 a.m.
• Pediatric patients (17 years and under):
  • Children 17 years and under may visit with constant adult supervision during visiting hours.
  • One visitor may stay overnight. They may utilize the one sleeping chair provided in the room. Do not bring in any home sleeping supplies (i.e. air mattress or sleeping pad). Please communicate any special circumstances to your nurse.
  • Siblings may not stay the night, except for breastfeeding infants under 6 months of age.
• The sleepover visitor may use the shower. We can provide towels and soap. All visitors using the showers are responsible for cleaning up after themselves.

Meals

In addition to the patient tray, you may order one guest tray per meal for no charge by calling room service at ext. 7182. Please order from the room service menu. Additional trays can be purchased from room service. Please keep in mind that if your child has diet restrictions, it is best not to eat in front of him/her. Nursing mothers should order meals as if they were the patient since they are supplying the infant’s nutrition.

Other food options

• Cascades Café: Located on the second floor, the café offers a variety of foods such as made-to-order pasta dishes, gourmet pizza, an extensive salad bar and house-made desserts. You can dine in or grab and go. Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily.

St. Charles Health System pediatric experts are here to provide the best care possible for critically-ill and injured children and their families, in a quiet, safe wing of our Bend hospital. As the only designated Pediatric Inpatient Unit in Central Oregon, our specialists provide care for:

• Respiratory illnesses
• Childhood diabetes
• Gastrointestinal illnesses
• Heart conditions
• Neurologic conditions
• Pre- and post-surgical conditions
• Urinary tract infections
• Traumatic injuries

We also provide supplemental care for children being treated by physicians at other major hospitals. This allows your child to remain close to home during treatment and therapy.

Each member of our multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses and support staff is certified to treat children and our shared goal is to treat the whole child: body, mind and spirit. To provide the most consistent high-quality care, specially-trained doctors called pediatric hospitalists work only in the Pediatric Care Unit, collaborating with their patients’ primary care doctors while staying in close communication with parents to include them in every aspect of their child’s care.

A pediatric cardiologist from St. Charles Heart and Lung Center is always available and our support staff includes a diabetes educator, asthma educator, social workers, pharmacists, and dietitians to give families the information and the tools they need in the hospital and at home.

Respect and Safety for Your Family

To respect the physical and emotional needs of children and their families, we offer private examination and treatment rooms. Your family’s security is a top priority, so we keep the Pediatric Care Unit locked at all times and provide space to allow a parent to be present 24 hours a day.

Want to learn more about our expert pediatric care? We encourage you to call us at 541-382-4321 for more information.

St. Charles Health System has a team of pediatric physicians and specialists who have long been recognized as leaders in treating children in Central Oregon.

Health care where you need it

At St. Charles Health System, we’re dedicated to providing military Veterans and their families with resources, support and advocacy for optimal mental and physical well-being. 

With 22,000 Veterans residing in Central Oregon -- and the nearest VA hospital hours away by car and over a mountain pass -- St. Charles is the preferred medical provider for Veterans seeking cancer, cardiology and/or emergency care closer to home. 

Plus, Veterans and their families who are eligible for TriCare health benefits can choose St. Charles providers for their health care needs. 

Know your benefits

During a medical emergency, Veterans can seek care at any of our four St. Charles hospital locations (via ambulance or emergency department) without advance approval from the VA. However, Veterans MUST notify the VA within 72 hours of admission to ensure the emergency care received is covered by your benefits.

The care you need, close to home

As part of the Veterans Community Care program, Veterans have the opportunity to seek medical care in their community under certain criteria. 

Due to the onerous burden of traveling hours by car over a mountain pass to a VA hospital, Central Oregon Veterans facing a cancer or heart/lung disease diagnosis can -- with prior authorization -- receive the highest quality cancer and heart care right here at home. 

For example, Veterans undergoing treatment at St. Charles Cancer Centers in Bend and Redmond have access to comprehensive services, including radiation and medical oncology in one location, an on-site pharmacist, nutrition services, oncology-trained physical therapists, survivorship programs and more.

To be treated at St. Charles, Veterans must first consult with their VA provider to receive prior authorization. 

St. Charles Hospice Veterans Program

St. Charles Hospice is proud to partner with the We Honor Veterans program to help us better serve Veterans on hospice. We Honor Veterans, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association and Veterans Affairs, is designed to empower hospice professionals and volunteers to meet the unique needs of dying Veterans. 

Additional Veteran community resources

Central Oregon Veterans Outreach - Works with Veterans in the areas of housing and outreach programs, as well as referrals to other agencies and resources.

Crook County VSO

Still Serving Central Oregon - Counseling and mental health services. 

The Shield - Free mental health services for Veterans and first responders. 

Central Oregon Veteran Center - Vet Centers are community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional readjustment counseling to eligible Veterans, active duty service members, including National Guard and Reserve components, and their families.

Central Oregon Veterans Council - A local coalition of dedicated Veteran organizations who connect, collaborate, unite and advocate on behalf of all Central Oregon Veterans, Guard and Reserve personnel in order to increase support for prominent issues facing this population. The group meets the second Wednesday of each month from 2-3 p.m. at the Bend VFW Hall at 1503 NE 4th St. in Bend and quarterly in Redmond, Prineville and Madras. Contact: Wendy Rudy, president, at 541-250-2965 [email protected] or join them on Facebook.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

• Exposure to hazardous chemicals and materials

• Portland VA Medical Center

• Bend Outpatient Clinic

Veterans Services in Deschutes County

Veterans Services in Jefferson County

TRICARE - A health care program for uniformed service members, retirees and their families. 

Veterans Crisis Line

If you, or someone you know needs support, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-8255 and press 1, or text 838255. 

What is tubal ligation?

More commonly known as  “getting your tubes tied” -- a tubal ligation is a surgical procedure for women who are certain they don’t want a future pregnancy. 

Tubal ligation is permanent birth control. So if you’re thinking of having it done, it’s important to understand all the advantages and disadvantages before making a decision. 

During this surgery, both fallopian tubes are blocked or cut, preventing the eggs released by your ovaries from making their way to your uterus, where they can become fertilized by sperm. 

Here are five considerations if you’re thinking about tubal ligation: 

1. It’s permanent. This procedure is for women who don’t want to have children or don’t wish to have any more. If you’re uncertain, talk to one of our women’s healthcare providers about other long-term options for birth control. 
2. It’s hormone-free. There are no side effects like the ones sometimes caused by birth control pills or an IUD. 
3. No more planning. You don’t need to remember to take a pill, use a condom, or count the days on a calendar. 
4. It does not protect against STDs. Only condoms prevent sexually transmitted diseases. 
5. There’s a risk of ectopic pregnancy. In the rare case that you do become pregnant following a tubal ligation, the fetus is more likely to grow in one of your fallopian tubes instead of your uterus, a serious condition.