Downtown Health Center

Message to patients and community members

Dear patients and community members,

Starting October 1, the Downtown Health Center in Bend and Redmond will no longer be providing reproductive and sexual health services.

Deschutes County Health Services will continue to provide HIV/STI testing and treatment services for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, as well as HIV and hepatitis C testing and PrEP to prevent HIV infection. These services will be located at the Courtney building in Bend and the Kingwood building in Redmond. Call 541-322-7155 to talk to someone about testing and/or treatment. For more information, click this link to the STIs and HIV page.

Please call the office at 541-322-7499 if you want help finding community options for services that are no longer offered or need assistance transferring your records.

Why?

DCHS has experienced a significant and sustained decrease in clients using our sexual and reproductive health clinics over the past decade. This drop in the need for our services is due to positive developments in the community, including:
- Increased Community Access and Comprehensive Care: Multiple clinics and healthcare providers in the community are providing comprehensive clinical services, including sexual and reproductive services.
- OHP expansion: Over the past several years OHP has expanded to include coverage to more individuals and families than ever before.
- Longer-Lasting Birth Control and Changes to Screening Recommendations: Advances in birth control, such as long-acting reversible contraceptives (IUDs, Nexplanon, and Depo), and decreased frequency in cervical cancer screening have reduced the need for annual clinic visits.
Decreased office visits and the complexity of maintaining small clinics is no longer financially sustainable. Other counties in Oregon are experiencing similar trends and have also transitioned away from providing direct sexual and reproductive health clinical services for all the reasons listed above.

We know that many of you have been coming to the clinics for years. Some may have only been in once or twice. We are, and will continue to be, here to help you navigate to other clinics where you can receive the care you need.

It has been our true honor over these past decades to be a safe and accessible landing place for all community members who needed us. We feel deeply privileged to have cared for you.

The Clinical Services Team of Deschutes County Health Services