Grand Rounds - June 23, 2023
"New Guidelines for Colon Cancer Screening & Management"

Speaker: Peter S. Buch, MD, AGAF, FACP. Associate Professor, University of Connecticut School of Medicine; University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Objectives

1. Examine the epidemiology and risk factors regarding colon cancer.
2. Diagnose and clinically stage colon cancer in the primary care setting.
3. Utilize chemotherapy drugs in the adjuvant and metastatic setting of colon cancer.
4. Apply new research and developments incolon cancer for screening and treatment.
5. Recognize the different clinical, socioeconomic, health literacy, language, and communication factors that impact patients from getting the care that is needed.

Accreditation: St. Charles Health System is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. St. Charles Health System designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM.

The period to claim credit for this activity expires one year after its original publication. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Claim Credit

Target Audience: Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists, Allied Health Professionals

Accessibility/Program Questions: St. Charles Health System encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Continuing Medical Education at [email protected].

Oher CME or Clerkship questions: also contact Continuing Medical Education at [email protected].

Requesting Employment Verification

To improve the employment verification process and respond to these requests faster, we have partnered with Experian Verify to provide this service.

Effective June 2, 2023, all third-party requests for verification will be processed by Experian Verify www.experianverify.com. This includes employment verification letters and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness form. Please click on the link to be directed to their website. Caregivers may also access their own verification records by visiting the same website.

For questions on the Experian Verify process please review the documents linked below.

Verifier Instructions

PSLF Employee Portal Instructions

Access code needed is: 577DD2A6

Joint press release from St. Charles Health System and Oregon Nurses Association

BEND – Nurses at St. Charles Bend voted overwhelmingly to ratify and approve a 3.5-year contract with St. Charles Health System, according to results from the Oregon Nurses Association shared today. The vote secures a contract for the nearly 1,000 nurses through June 2026 at the Bend hospital.

“Today is a positive step forward, for St. Charles nurses and for the health system as a whole. We believe this contract will go far to secure the goal we share with our nurses – to recruit and retain more qualified RNs, which has been increasingly challenging during a nationwide nursing shortage,” said Iman Simmons, Chief Operations Officer for St. Charles Health System. “We are optimistic about the future of the health system and for our ability to move forward in partnership with the Bend ONA.”

“Nurses from St. Charles are so grateful to this community for their support,” said Erin Harrington, RN. “We love this community and are 100% committed to providing our neighbors and friends the world class health care they deserve. The nurses have voted and shown their strong support for this contract – a contract that moves us forward toward better recruitment and retention and improved working conditions.”

According to the ONA, the new contract makes nurses at St. Charles the highest paid in the state. Details of the contract include:

• July 2023: $5 per hour increase (this is in addition to a $5 per hour increase given in March of 2023)
• July 2024: 4% increase
• July 2025: 4% increase
• January 2026: 4% increase

The contract also includes adjustments to shift differentials.

About St. Charles Health System
St. Charles Health System, Inc., headquartered in Bend, Ore., owns and operates St. Charles Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond. It also owns family care clinics in Bend, Madras, Prineville, Redmond, La Pine and Sisters. St. Charles is a private, not-for-profit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 4,500 caregivers. In addition, there are more than 350 active medical staff members and nearly 200 visiting medical staff members who partner with the health system to provide a wide range of care and service to our communities.

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You have the right to have a medical chaperone present during any sensitive exam or treatment.

Out of respect for you and your comfort, medical chaperones are available to be present when you are being seen by a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant.

Adult patients (15+ years) may opt out of having a medical chaperone present.

Patients under 15 years of age must have a medical chaperone present during sensitive exams or treatments, unless a parent/guardian/legal representative declines. A parent/family member may not serve as a medical chaperone.

A treating professional may postpone a sensitive exam/treatment until a chaperone can be present.

A sensitive examination is a physical examination of an area of the body typically covered by an undergarment - genital, rectal or breast. However, you may request to have a medical chaperone present during any physical examination.

Learn more about the Oregon Medical Board Rule.

Usted tiene derecho a tener un acompañante médico presente durante cualquier examen o tratamiento delicado.

Por respeto a usted y su comodidad, los acompañantes médicos están disponibles para estar presentes cuando lo atiende un médico, un/una enfermero/a especialista o un asociado médico.

Los pacientes adultos (mayores de 15 años) pueden optar por no tener un acompañante médico presente.

Los pacientes menores de 15 años deben tener un acompañante médico presente durante los exámenes o tratamientos delicados, a menos que uno de los padres/tutor/representante legal se niegue. Un padre / madre / familiar no puede actuar como acompañante médico.

Un profesional médico tratante puede posponer un examen o un tratamiento delicado hasta que pueda estar presente un acompañante.

Un examen delicado es un examen físico de un área del cuerpo típicamente cubierta por una prenda interior: área genital, rectal o senos. Por lo tanto, puede solicitar la presencia de un acompañante medico durante cualquier examen físico.

Obtenga más información sobre la Regla de la Junta Médica de Oregón.

Pictured above from left: Dana Bennet, Elliot Coughlin, Erin Olsen and Marian Morris-Evrin

St. Charles celebrates extraordinary nursing with DAISY Awards

Four nurses from St. Charles Health System recently were honored DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nurses, recognizing the outstanding, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day.

The nurses, who represent all four St. Charles hospitals in Bend, Redmond, Madras and Prineville, were recognized with a ceremony on their respective units and presented with a certificate, a pin and a "healer's touch" sculpture by their hospital’s chief nursing officer. The honorees are:

• Dana Bennett, a behavioral health nurse in Bend, who is known for rising to meet every challenge and her ability to serve every patient with compassion, dignity and respect;
   
• Elliot Coughlin, a medical services nurse in Redmond, who was honored by the family of a former patient for Coughlin’s ability to be understanding, while giving respect and compassion to help retain the patient’s dignity;
   
• Marian Morris-Evrin, a case management nurse in Madras, who is known for her strong advocacy for patients in her care, community connections and her desire to work tirelessly to provide what’s best for patients; and
   
• Erin Olsen, a medical services nurse in Redmond, who was honored for her compassionate care, critical thinking skills and extraordinary clinical excellence.

About the DAISY Awards:

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that was established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families.

This is one initiative of The DAISY Foundation to express gratitude to the nursing profession. Additionally, DAISY offers J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, The DAISY Faculty Award to honor inspiring faculty members in schools and colleges of nursing and The DAISY in Training Award for nursing students. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.

About St. Charles Health System

St. Charles Health System, Inc., headquartered in Bend, Ore., owns and operates St. Charles Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond. It also owns family care clinics in Bend, Madras, Prineville, Redmond, La Pine and Sisters. St. Charles is a private, not-for-profit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 4,500 caregivers. In addition, there are more than 350 active medical staff members and nearly 200 visiting medical staff members who partner with the health system to provide a wide range of care and service to our communities.

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Grand Rounds - June 16, 2023
"Bipolar Disorder"

Speaker: Christopher Paul Lucas, MD, MPH. Associate Clinical Professor, SUNY Upstate Medical University.

Objectives

1. Improve diagnosis of bipolar spectrum disorders so as to provide appropriate treatment and maximize patient outcomes.
2. Differentiate optimal treatments for BPI and BPII using evidence-based science to determine individual course of treatment and improve patient outcomes.
3. Identify barriers to care in patients with bipolar disorder and develop strategies to abate them.

Accreditation: St. Charles Health System is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. St. Charles Health System designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM.

The period to claim credit for this activity expires one year after its original publication. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Claim Credit

Target Audience: Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists, Allied Health Professionals

Accessibility/Program Questions: St. Charles Health System encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Continuing Medical Education at [email protected].

Oher CME or Clerkship questions: also contact Continuing Medical Education at [email protected].

A recent request asked us to look for available CME credit on the topic of pain management and opioids, being that required for DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)-registered practitioners. As it will undoubtedly interest to more caregivers, we share a good resource we found: Pain Management and Opioids.

This FREE 10-hour CME/CE training on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders satisfies the new one-time, eight-hour training requirement for all Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-registered practitioners.

Grand Rounds - June 9, 2023
"Tickborne Illness"

Speaker: Mireya Wessolossky, MD, MPH.

Objectives

1. Identify the many different appearances of the erythema migrans rash of Lyme disease.
2. Describe the current criteria and tests used for the diagnosis of the different stages of Lyme disease.
3. State the recommended antibiotics and duration of therapy for the different manifestations and stages of Lyme disease.
4. Identify the challenges to the diagnosis and treatment of Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.

Accreditation: St. Charles Health System is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. St. Charles Health System designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM.

The period to claim credit for this activity expires one year after its original publication. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Claim Credit

Target Audience: Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists, Allied Health Professionals

Accessibility/Program Questions: St. Charles Health System encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Continuing Medical Education at [email protected].

Oher CME or Clerkship questions: also contact Continuing Medical Education at [email protected].

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BEND – St. Charles Health System is pleased to announce that after two very full days and nights of bargaining we have reached a tentative agreement with the Oregon Nurses Association on a new three-and-a-half-year contract for the Bend hospital nurses.

As part of the agreement, the ONA has withdrawn its 10-day strike notice and will work alongside St. Charles leaders to communicate the details of the contract with frontline nurses. The more than 950 nurses in the Bend ONA bargaining unit will have the opportunity to vote to ratify the new contract in the coming weeks.
 

About St. Charles Health System

St. Charles Health System, Inc., headquartered in Bend, Ore., owns and operates St. Charles Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond. It also owns family care clinics in Bend, Madras, Prineville, Redmond, La Pine and Sisters. St. Charles is a private, not-for-profit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 4,500 caregivers. In addition, there are more than 350 active medical staff members and nearly 200 visiting medical staff members who partner with the health system to provide a wide range of care and service to our communities.