St. Charles Medical Center in Bend
Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB
Central Oregon’s largest health system announced Tuesday it will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for all visitors.
St. Charles runs hospitals and clinics in Bend, Redmond, Madras and Prineville. It appears to be the first large health system in Oregon to restrict visitors solely by vaccination status. The policy change comes as COVID-19 patients — the vast majority of whom are unvaccinated — fill hospital beds in Bend.
St. Charles Chief Physician Executive Jeff Absalon cited safety concerns, as a more contagious variant spreads.
“We know that vaccination is the most important tool to protect people from getting severely ill from COVID-19 disease, and also plays a role in protecting transmission of the disease,” Absalon said.
The visitor policy at St. Charles takes effect Oct. 18, which is also the deadline for all Oregon health care workers to get their shots as a condition of employment.
According to a St. Charles press release, unvaccinated visitors to its facilities will only be allowed under “extraordinary circumstances.”
“This could include a visitor to a patient who is at the end of life, a parent of a pediatric patient, a ‘support person’ as defined by Oregon law or an emergency response worker who may need to enter a hospital or clinic while on duty,” the release states.
None of this changes a reality for St. Charles’ COVID positive patients: Friends and family still won’t be allowed to visit them in person.
Other types of patients at St. Charles are permitted one visitor per day. Some other large Oregon hospitals, such OHSU and Legacy Health, don’t currently allow visitors for most adult patients, unless they’re in labor or at the end of life.