St. Charles Health System

St. Charles Health System recently recognized several nurses for their extraordinary service and abilities. Four nurses received the DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nurses, a national award that recognizes the outstanding, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. The nurses earning DAISY awards are: Krista Munns, a Medical Services nurse in Redmond, was recognized by a family for her care and compassion, sharing that “she was hugely supportive during a very difficult time.” Katie Pink, an Emergency Department nurse in Bend, was recognized for her “fervent application of clinical knowledge honed with her compassion and patience.” Janna Raber-Stevens, a Medical Services nurse in Prineville, was honored by a patient specifically for her ability to find a creative way to help them get some sleep, saying her efforts “made a huge difference in my outlook and attitude.” Riley Schafer, a Wound Ostomy nurse in Madras, was recognized by a patient for her tremendous care helping with a slow-healing wound, saying “Nurse Riley stood above the rest with her care, attitude and compassion.” Congratulations to all four nurses on this well-deserved honor!

St. Charles Health System recently recognized several nurses for their extraordinary service and abilities. This year, three nurse leaders received DAISY Awards for Extraordinary Nurses, a national award that recognizes the outstanding, compassionate nursing care they provide patients and families every day. St. Charles' inaugural winners of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Leaders are: Ryan Huebscher, assistant nurse manager, Emergency Department, Bend, was honored for his “empathy, gentleness and strength.” Kelli Jo Hammack, nurse manager, Inpatient Services, Madras, was recognized for caring, approachable style and her tremendous clinical knowledge. Bethany Klier, nurse manager, Wound Ostomy, Madras, was recognized for being intelligent, strong, loving and fearless. Congratulations to these nurse leaders for the well-deserved honor!

#humansofstcharles If you’re worried that a questionable mole might be skin cancer, there’s an app for that — thanks to Emma Nordstrom, a St. Charles volunteer and graduate of Bend’s Trinity Lutheran School. Earlier this year, Nordstrom, 18, was one of 200 high school students in the country to be recognized as a National STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Champion for her invention: A program that allows a person to scan a concerning lesion and will flag it if it shares characteristics with different types of skin cancer. Learn more about the story behind Emma's app at our website: https://bit.ly/4cqbbuW

Have a safe and happy 4th of July holiday!

URGENT CARE HOLIDAY HOURS: St. Charles Bend South, La Pine and Prineville urgent care clinics will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 4th in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

Having a car seat that is properly and safely installed is a must before bringing your baby home from the hospital. Our friends at Bend Fire are here to provide tips on the best ways to make sure your baby will be ready for its first big ride.

We were happy to be part of the Prideville celebration this weekend in Prineville! Our caregivers loved chatting with everyone who stopped by the booth and enjoyed another gorgeous day in Central Oregon while celebrating our community. #pride #pridemonth

Our caregivers had such great day at the Pi-Ume-Sha health fair in Warm Springs! We had booths from St. Charles Madras Family Care, Stroke Awareness and St. Charles Cancer Center. It was a beautiful day outside meeting people in the Warm Springs community and providing resources and education on local health care access. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and said hello!

In an effort to raise awareness and work toward a safer community, St. Charles has partnered with Gun Owners for Responsible Gun Ownership to distribute free gun locks to St. Charles caregivers and members of the public. The project, which was funded by a grant from St. Charles’ Community Benefit program, has distributed 269 handgun locks and 193 cable locks to its caregivers, plus a few dozen given to members of the public through a variety of locations. Dr. Rick Tietz, an urgent care doctor, helped champion this effort after helping care for a preschooler who died from an accidental gunshot wound early in his career. “Since then, I have been involved in ways to prevent this from happening. As physicians, our job is to save lives and gun locks save lives," Tietz said. "Children die from accidents involving guns and that is totally preventable with education and proper use of gun locks.” With nearly 500 gun locks having been distributed, the program is already a success, Tietz said. “We very well may have already saved a life," he said. "That alone makes it worth it.”

Meet the newly minted physicians who are the first trainees in the Three Sisters Rural Track Program! Known as RTP, the program is a three-year family medicine residency and Central Oregon's first medical residency program. The three residents are currently undergoing one year of advanced medical training at OHSU and will transition to St. Charles Madras next summer, where they will help care for up to 900 patients a year! Dr. Callie Krewson, left, was born and raised in Bend and graduated from Mountain View High School. Krewson is excited to be part of the program’s inaugural class and returning to and working in Central Oregon. She is joined by her husband and two dogs. “I look forward to returning to the places that I know and love,” Krewson said. “I want to give back to the community that raised me.” Dr. Ben Khalil, center, is a Richland, Washington native and looks forward to combining a love of outdoors with a passion for providing comprehensive health care. He will be joined by his wife and two cats, and while he enjoys trying new things, his favorite dessert will always be ice cream. Dr. Christopher Sutton, right, is excited to work closely with patients in a rural setting like his hometown of Warren, Pennsylvania, and to enjoying Central Oregon’s outdoor recreation opportunities. Sutton previously worked in the oil, gas and natural resources industries and comes to Central Oregon with his girlfriend, a cat and a dog. Learn more about the Three Sisters Rural Track Program at our website: https://bit.ly/3VJfTgg