St. Charles, COPA expand pediatric care partnership
St. Charles Health System and Central Oregon Pediatric Associates announced Monday a broadening of their collective efforts to care for children in Central Oregon.
On February 12, COPA will open a new clinic on the south side of Bend, located within the existing St. Charles Medical Group clinic at 61250 SE Coombs Place.
“This is a unique relationship for both organizations,” the joint announcement said.
St. Charles opened its clinic in south Bend in November 2016 and has offered pediatric services since that time.
COPA leaders began working with St. Charles leaders last fall to collaborate on how to improve overall quality health measures for children throughout the region.
“St. Charles is a strong brand and provides exceptional primary care medicine,” said John Weinsheim, president of SCMG. “We also believe COPA has expertise in delivering excellent pediatric medicine and can enhance the delivery of pediatric services in the south end of Bend. If we can accomplish this aim by leveraging the experience of existing providers in the community, it would be a real win for everyone.”
COPA will lease space within the St. Charles Family Care Bend South clinic, continuing pediatric services at that location.
At the same time, St. Charles’ sole pediatric provider in Redmond has taken on a new role locally, and COPA has stepped up to offer patients an option to choose a provider at its Redmond clinic on Larch Avenue.
“This is a really smart way for St. Charles Medical Group and COPA to do what we each do best,” said Weinsheim.
“By creating a new COPA clinic within the St. Charles Family Care Bend South building and working with the Redmond pediatric population, we’re expanding access to specialized pediatric care in our region to improve the health of all children in Central Oregon,” said Wade Miller, chief executive officer of COPA.
St. Charles said it has also agreed to expand placement of embedded behavioral health consultants working side-by-side with COPA providers at COPA clinics.
The engagement of behavioral health professionals (usually licensed clinical social workers) in clinical care teams is a growing and successful model in the delivery of coordinated patient care. St. Charles Medical Group has been providing this service since 2011 in Central Oregon.
St. Charles and COPA have partnered in a number of ways over the past few years, most notably on pediatric hospital medicine and on coordinated care.
COPA, along with Bend Memorial Clinic clinicians, provide pediatric hospital medicine coverage to all children admitted to St. Charles Bend. COPA and St. Charles also work closely together on achieving key clinical quality measures as part of their participation in the Central Oregon Coordinated Care Organization (CCO).
“In addition to improving the delivery of care in our region,” Miller said, “these strong and growing relationships will boost our collective performance on quality improvement measures and, more importantly, support Central Oregon children with a foundation for a lifetime of good health.”
