St. Charles Bend to open urgent care clinic to ease strain on Emergency Department

Also plans new drive-through COVID-19 testing site nearby

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- St. Charles Health System announced on Sunday a new urgent care clinic and drive-thru COVID-19 testing at a family care facility near the Bend hospital as it struggles with capacity issues and staffing shortages that have left many waiting in the Emergency Department for available hospital beds.

Here's St. Charles' full announcement (boldface is their emphasis):

To expand our ability to provide care to the growing number of COVID-19 and other patients in our community, St. Charles is opening:

• An Urgent Care clinic in the Bend East Family Care building at 2600 NE Neff Road.
• Drive-through COVID-19 testing in the back of the parking lot of the 2600 NE Neff Road building. To access drive-through testing, please follow directional signs.

Both services will start Monday, Aug. 16. Initial hours of operation for both will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, to be expanded as need arises and resources allow.

St. Charles’ Emergency Departments are the best places for care for people experiencing an acute health emergency. It is critical that patients who do not need an emergency level of care avoid the Emergency Department at this time. Community providers are encouraged to send appropriate patients to primary or Urgent Care facilities first when at all possible.

In general, emergency care is needed for life-threatening medical conditions and serious injuries. Urgent care is for same-day evaluation and management of acute conditions and worsening chronic conditions that do not rise to the level of a life-threatening emergency. Primary care is for a broad spectrum of preventive, acute and chronic condition management and health checkups, as well as other non-emergent health issues.

Anyone who is unsure about the need for urgent care versus primary care should contact their primary care provider. St. Charles clinics provide care to all patients regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.

In addition to the clinic opening Monday at Bend East, St. Charles operates Urgent Care facilities in the following locations across Central Oregon:

Bend South
61250 SE Coombs Place
541-706-5930

La Pine
51781 Huntington Road
541-907-7050

Prineville
384 SE Combs Flat Road
541-447-8750

"We appreciate the support from our community as we all work together to ensure care is available within the hospital for our most critically ill patients," the hospital said.