On a chilly Thursday morning in December, hope arrived in a box. ...Read more

Life really does come full circle. Dr. Marcel Tam, a doctor at the Indian Health Center a rural community in Central Oregon, spends his work life caring for the tribal members in Warm Springs and Grand Ronde. ...Read more
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Expert Columns
Diabetes rates in Oregon have tripled since the 1990s. That statistic alone is alarming. Even more concerning is the relationship between diabetes and America’s leading cause of death – heart disease. Read more
Obsession with personal fulfillment realized through material means – the fairytale of happiness for sale – is customary in affluent cities like Bend and the broad landscape of contemporary American social and economic life. Read more
Three years ago, Dr. Shilo Tippett was wheeled into a St. Charles operating room, where she was scheduled to have a hysterectomy. Read more
Staying fit and enjoying the outdoors go hand-in-hand. During the warm months, the time we spend outside helps to maintain our fitness and improve our mental state by leaps and bounds. The summer allows for more outdoor activities than other seasons, and, while you may miss snow occasionally, the temperatures are ripe for intense outdoor activity. For those who do love snow, you can flip the seasonal advice below and apply it to your preferred active months. Read more
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On July 7, the last tumbler fell. Read more
Central Oregon Community College is offering a new non-credit nursing assistant class for healthcare workers of St. Charles Health System in Bend. Read more
For high school athletes in Oregon, everything changed the week of March 11. Read more
Wallowa Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital and trauma center located in Enterprise, is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the county’s first four-wheel drive ambulance, and it will be the only ambulance with a neonatal transporter. The hospital serves the residents and visitors of Wallowa County in northeast Oregon, an area encompassing 3,152 square miles known for its wintry climate and rugged terrain, with a population of more than 7,000 people. Read more
Festive fun and social gatherings are hallmarks of the holiday season. Whether celebrating with family, friends or co-workers, as Christmas draws nearer, people typically congregate at family dinners, shopping excursions or office parties. Read more
For college-aged young adults, living away from their parents is considered a developmentally age-appropriate task. Young adults naturally crave independence from their family of origin; it’s in their job description. Read more
If you don’t personally suffer from Parkinson’s disease, chances are you’ve at least heard of it. Read more
When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, schools went into crisis mode and reacted with closures through the remainder of the school year. A summer full of fluctuating mandates did not seem to help the situation, but looking back many superintendents feel they did what was best at the time. Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown us all for a loop, challenging families to adapt to a new normal in terms of school, work and child care. Now we face the unease of returning to distanced learning and uncertainty of how the school year will progress. As we search for ways to stay safe, stay sane, and make sure our kids keep learning, here are some tips and tricks to help us all make the best of the new academic year. Read more
Neither a COVID-19 pandemic nor an outbreak of head lice will keep school nurses from manning the front lines of maintaining school health. Read more
After months of intense planning, students will be able to return to college campuses this fall, but it will be a vastly different experience. Read more
The school cafeteria has gone dark these days. Read more
LA GRANDE — High school athletes in Oregon are several months away from having an opportunity to officially start their sports season. Read more
There is no doubt we are experiencing some of the greatest challenges we have ever faced in our lifetimes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a psychologist who has researched addiction for more than a decade, I am especially concerned about the virus’s effects on substance use rates and the health disparities that are created and exacerbated by the pandemic. Recent studies suggest a multitude of ways that COVID-19 and alcohol use are intertwined, and I’d like to focus on four ways that the combination of the two creates an especially concerning the situation. Read more
When the state shut down all non-emergency medical treatments while communities worked to contain COVID-19, some well-child visits were missed as well. Read more
Kari Lansdon has owned a daycare in Baker City for 22 years and although the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted her business, the virus hasn’t closed it. Read more
On the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Charles Health System posed a question to the Redmond community: What should the future of your community hospital look like? Read more
Ring, ring, your telemedicine doctor will see you now. Read more
PORTLAND — COVID-19 is the pressure test for wellness across all institutions and communities. The virus has brought with it the fear, anticipatory anxiety, loss of control and a sense of hopelessness that can undermine a person's emotional and physical well-being over time. Read more
When Deschutes County’s first case of COVID-19 was announced at a press conference March 11, Dr. Jeff Absalon stood before a room of reporters and elected officials and assured the community that St. Charles Health System was ready. Read more