St. Charles to close Redmond birthing center July 13

St. Charles Health System leaders have decided that Saturday, July 13 will be the official closing date for the St. Charles Redmond Family Birthing Center.

“Our new OB hospitalist program will be up and running in Bend in early June, and we feel confident we’ll have the necessary services in place to care for moms and babies in Bend and Madras by July 13,” said Iman Simmons, chief operating officer for St. Charles, said in Thursday’s announcement.

“The team has worked hard on transition plans to ensure the closure is smooth for patients and families,” she added.

C-sections will be scheduled in Redmond through July 10 and laboring moms will be admitted and evaluated up until 12:01 a.m. on July 12, to ensure enough time for recovery post-delivery.

St. Charles Health System said its “leaders made the difficult decision last fall to close the Redmond FBC after a task force of experts spent nearly a year evaluating options for birthing services throughout the region.”

The Redmond FBC has 12 beds and an average of 1.5 births per day. Last year, 49 newborns were transferred from Redmond to Bend because they needed a higher level of care.

“This decision will reduce the need for risky neonatal transports,” the organization’s announcement said.

“St. Charles continues to focus on ensuring access to safe, high-quality care throughout the entire region we serve while maintaining the long-term viability of the health system well into the future,” said Aaron Adams, president of St. Charles Bend and Redmond.

” While we are consolidating birthing services, we remain committed to the Redmond community,” Adams said. “Currently, we are expanding cancer and women’s services in Redmond and will conduct our first robotic surgeries in Redmond this week. We anticipate additional investments in the community in the future. “

In addition to the new OB hospitalist program, St. Charles said it is also building its certified nurse midwifery group and is offering outpatient midwifery appointments for patients at clinics throughout Central Oregon.

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 4,200 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.