Community invited to attend May 16 St. Charles Family Care in La Pine grand opening

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2018

LA PINE, Ore. — St. Charles Health System is celebrating the completion of its newest family care clinic at 51781 Huntington Road in La Pine with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house event May 16 at 5 p.m.

St. Charles Family Care in La Pine will serve the community of La Pine and nearby underserved communities, including Sunriver, Gilchrist, Crescent, Chiloquin, Chemult, Christmas Valley, Silver Lake and Fort Rock. Along with expanding services, the clinic will provide a medical home for the region that coordinates care throughout St. Charles Health System with the central point of access — primary care physicians — close to home.

“We’re so excited to celebrate the grand opening of our new clinic,” said John Weinsheim, president of St. Charles Medical Group. “This clinic, which will provide primary care, Immediate Care, radiology, lab, occupational and specialty services, will be a medical home to south county residents.”

St. Charles Foundation is celebrating raising $1.2 million to help fund the project. The Foundation received cash and pledges from individuals, foundations and businesses who want to see expanded health care in the south county area.

“With the help of our dedicated team of volunteers and the support of the Central Oregon community, we’re making this much-needed clinic a reality,” said Corinne Martinez, capital campaign co-chair. “There are still naming opportunities and bricks available to commemorate this milestone in our community.”

There will be limited parking available at the site for the grand opening celebration. Attendees are encouraged to take a shuttle from the La Pine Senior Activity Center at 16450 Victory Way. Shuttle rides will begin at 4:45 p.m. The event will begin with guest speakers, followed by a ribbon cutting and open house.

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 and Sisters. St. Charles is a private, not-for-profit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 3,800 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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Car Seat Safety

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends infants and children remain in a rear-facing car seat until the age of two in order to protect their necks from whiplash and worse. Most manufacturers make seats that accommodate this recommendation. A common parental reason for changing to a forward facing carseat prior to age 2 is "My child's legs are too long and will be squished." But, there's good news! Children can bend their legs easily without pain and can comfortably sit criss-cross–applesauce-style (they're so much more flexible than adults). If that's not enough, think about this: The risk of injury to their legs is super rare. And, if you're still not convinced, know this: At least one study has shown that infants and toddlers are 500% safer if they remain rear-facing until two years of age.

Three out of four car seats are not installed properly so be sure to get your car seat checked for the safety of your little one. Hopscotch Kids is happy to offer free car seat installations and car seat checks by appointment, regardless of the brand of car seat or where you purchased it. They have a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Tech on staff five days a week. Appointments can be scheduled by phone at 541-213-2245 or by emailing [email protected].

If your car seat or booster was in an accident (even a minor one) it needs to be thrown out and replaced with a new one.

As your little one grows, should you use a booster seat or just a seat belt?

School-aged children can safely transfer to a booster once they exceed the manufacturer's weight limits on their car seat. They should remain in a belt-positioning booster until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches, which is usually between the ages of 9 and 12. According to Oregon Department of Transportation, you should keep your child in a booster until you can answer YES to all of the following questions:

• Can the child sit all the way back against the vehicle seat?
• Do the child's knees bend comfortable at the edge of the seat?
• Does the shoulder belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
• Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
• Can the child stay comfortably seated like this for the whole trip?

What do you say to your tween or teen sitting in the back telling you they don't need a seatbelt?

"No belt, no go." The AAP recommends that everyone in the car wear a seatbelt and children under 13 years should never ride in the front seat.   

Below are links for additional information on car seats and driving safety. 
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/Pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Information-for-Families.aspx
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/on-the-go/pages/Car-Safety-Seats-Product-Listing.aspx

We hope this information is helpful to keep your children safe in the car.

Pickrell, T.M., Li,R., &KC, S. (2016, September).
Occupant restraint use in 2015: Results from the NOPUS controlled intersection study (Report No. DOT HS 812 330).
Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
CDC.gov. Child Passenger Safety: Get the Facts.
Oregon.Gov. Occupant Protection.
HealthyChildren.Org. Car Seats: Information for Families.
HealthyChildren.Org: Car Seats Product Listing 2016.

St. Charles Family Care in La Pine now scheduled to open in April 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 23, 2017

Due to unanticipated changes to the scope and impact of site improvements and infrastructure upgrades, St. Charles Family Care in La Pine will now open in April 2018.

Road, utility and site prep work will begin in March, and structural work will begin shortly thereafter.

“We’re very excited to break ground on the clinic this spring,” said John Weinsheim, president of St. Charles Medical Group. “This clinic, which will provide primary care, Immediate Care, radiology, lab, occupational and specialty services, will be a medical home to south county residents.”

St. Charles Medical Group has begun recruiting for primary care physicians, with the goal of having them hired in time to allow for training in clinical systems, patient flow and St. Charles’ new electronic health record (EHR) system, Epic.

St. Charles Foundation is also continuing to work toward its campaign goal of $1.5 million to build the clinic. To date, the Foundation has received $900,000 in cash and pledges from individuals, foundations and businesses who want to see expanded health care in the south county area.

“The Central Oregon community is generously making this much-needed clinic a reality,” said Corinne Martinez, capital campaign co-chair. “Our team of dedicated volunteers will continue raising money throughout 2017 to support this vital project. We’re looking forward to introducing prospective caregivers to our wonderful community.”

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 and Sisters. St. Charles is a private, not-for-profit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 3,800 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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