Exciting things are happening at St. Charles

I've spent the past six weeks diving into the role of President and CEO for St. Charles Health System - which means I've been out and about all over Central Oregon and in different areas of our organization learning as much as I can about our people, places and programs to ensure we are providing the best possible care for you.

As part of this effort, I've spent time recently job shadowing with our Security and Facilities teams who work incredibly hard to keep our caregivers, patients and buildings safe; with our neurohospitalist program where specialized providers care for patients who have been hospitalized with a stroke or other neurologic issue; with our Medical Diagnostics Unit where you may have had a colonoscopy or other procedure; and with our Trauma team - where we all hope you never need services, but if you do, the care will be exceptional.

In addition to spending time across our facilities, I've also had the opportunity to meet with community groups and individuals who care about St. Charles as an organization. It's been fun hearing your stories and learning about what you feel is working well and where we may be able to improve.

On that note, I'd love to share some exciting updates happening at several of our campuses and to encourage you to get involved in some upcoming community events.

Bend Emergency Department expansion
After many months of planning and preparation, we are excited to share that a new rapid medical evaluation unit will arrive soon at the St. Charles Bend campus and we will start to serve patients this fall. The unit includes about 12 spaces where patients with less severe health concerns can be treated at the Bend Emergency Department.

This additional space will also help us with throughput for all ED patients and will improve the overall experience for patients, families and our caregivers. While this is just the first step in our Emergency Department expansion, it is an important one that will help free up space within the existing ED and will move us toward our long-term goal of at least doubling ED capacity in the next five to seven years. Look for the new unit on the Bend campus soon.

New walking path at Prineville hospital
Thanks to a generous donation from Mid Oregon Credit Union, St. Charles Prineville has a newly completed 1-mile walking path around the facility that will give caregivers, patients, their families and community members a chance to get outside, get some exercise and hopefully reduce the stress they may be experiencing from a hospital visit. We are so grateful to our partners at Mid Oregon for their continued support of our teams and their commitment to wellness for our communities. I hope you'll check out the walking path the next time you visit our Prineville campus.

Three new residents join Madras crew
Our Three Sisters Rural Track Program has welcomed the next three residents to Madras where they will continue their training in rural family medicine. These physicians will provide care for up to 1,200 patients each year and we are so grateful they chose our program to further their education. You can learn more about the residency program here.

Heaven Can Wait returns to Redmond Oct. 4
One of our favorite annual events is coming up soon. The Heaven Can Wait 5K will take place at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 4 and it's not too late to register! The walk/run raises funds for Sara's Project, a St. Charles Foundation initiative, with proceeds going to support community education, early detection resources and support services to ease the challenges of breast cancer for people in Central and Eastern Oregon. I really hope to see you out there this year. It's a truly inspiring event.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and for your interest in St. Charles.

Michael