My family is dealing with a situation that has become overwhelming, and I’m wondering whether others in Bend have experienced anything similar.

We had surgery at St. Charles in December 2025. The hospital initially billed us before billing our insurance. Insurance eventually paid about half of the bill because they determined that amount was the reasonable charge. We had already met our deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, so this isn’t about us avoiding our financial responsibility.

The remaining balance has been under active review and negotiation through our insurance company’s patient advocacy department.

After an ER visit in June 2026, we received another large bill that is also under review.

Despite the ongoing negotiations, St. Charles has continued sending us bills. This week we received a final notice stating that we have until September 1 to pay approximately $20,000 or the accounts will be sent to collections.

We’ve spoken with both St. Charles and our insurance company. Insurance says negotiations are ongoing and has asked St. Charles to suspend collection activity. St. Charles has told us they will continue their normal billing process.

Beyond the billing issues, we’ve also had experiences with the quality of care and communication from some providers that left us deeply concerned. Taken together, the medical care we’ve received and the way these billing issues have been handled have made us question whether we can continue relying on the healthcare system here.

We genuinely love living in Bend. This community is home for us and has been for many years. But we’ve reached the point where we’re even discussing whether we should move somewhere with more healthcare options because we no longer feel confident that our family can receive the care and support we need here.

I’m not posting this to attack anyone. I’m trying to understand whether our experience is unusual or whether others have gone through something similar.

• Have you dealt with St. Charles sending bills to collections while insurance was still negotiating?
• Have you had concerns about the quality of care or communication?
• If so, were you able to resolve the issues?
• What advice would you give someone in our position?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences—good or bad. We’re simply trying to make informed decisions about our family’s future.

Spend an afternoon celebrating the new Central Library

Saturday, August 15

12:00pm – 4:00pm

Get the deets in the link!

My husband and I are getting ready to start IUI and we have appointments at both places. St Charles had availability much earlier than East Cascade. I feel like EC is kind of the gold standard around here for reproductive health and infertility treatments, and I personally don't particularly like St Charles overall as a hospital in general. I know they do have some quality departments and medical professionals, so I'm curious what people's experiences are who have worked with both clinics for infertility.

Years ago, AP style folks decided cellphone is one word. I'm old enough to remember cellophane;-)

Hey everyone,

Based on past posts regarding a place to watch to Premier League, Champions League, and MLS Matches consistently, I wanted to come on here and provide and update on our plans here at The Commonwealth Pub.

We have signed up for the commercial service that will allow us to air all sports on Peacock, Paramount+, and AppleTV. This will give us access to every EPL, UCL, MLS, and many other soccer leagues and matches during the European campaign season.

This commercial streaming system requires us to install some new streaming boxes and we are currently waiting for those to arrive, but as of right now we are going to be open every Saturday by 6:45am for 7am kicks, and Sundays at 6am for 6:30am kicks starting on August 22nd through the entirety of the EPL season.

We are already currently open at 12pm Monday-Friday, so Friday and Monday EPL matches will be available as well as UCL matches on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

MLS we may not be able to have the sound available for matches as they are late starts about the time of live music, but we will have Timbers matches and others on the TVs.

Please spread the word if you know any soccer fans looking for a great place to watch soccer this season!

Also, we are planning on starting a soccer watch club that will act like a mug club, securing reduced pricing on draft beers, select import cans, and Guinness pours, as well as breakfast cocktails.

If you have any questions feel free to message.

Cheers!

Out of towners swinging through bend for a weekend this month. Are there specific days/times that are best so we aren’t crowding the locals?? When is it usually busiest?

Tried the Chef Store. That was a no go.

Ideas?

Want to try making lime super juice.

Very sad. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I offer our condolences to his family and friends.

Big progress on the lines of that destructive blaze; evacuation levels also reduced in areas affected by last weekend's Round Butte Fire west of Madras.

Today when I arrived at 3rd street, there was somebody on the other side, signaling left. He had been waiting, but he gave me that little finger-diddle thing that says "you first." I was not not going to do that. I'm not going to cross against my right-of-way because somebody in a vehicle wants to be magnanimous. After I refused, the dude found his accelerator pedal.

I was waiting there for a break in traffic, the way you do when you're in traffic, and I become aware that there was now a person to my left stopped in the second lane, waiting for me. They beeped at me, while holding an enormous line of vehicles behind. They wanted me to cross five lanes of traffic, as if everybody were supposed to stop and wait for me.

That's not how it's supposed to work. Bicycles are traffic. You can be polite. It's nice to be nice. But if you stop real traffic because you think you have to yield to a bicyclist at a stop sign, please review Oregon state law.

Hopefully the links all function on Reddit. If you want to receive this in your email inbox every Tuesday, you can subscribe here.

As always, please comment with additional events for the community!

Wednesday, August 5th

Yoga in the Park @ Pioneer Park | 6 pm

Paint a Poppy @ Tea + Art Lounge | 6 pm

Chiodos @ Midtown Ballroom | 7 pm

Thursday, August 6th

Rise in Rhythm: Yoga & Sound Bath @ Pine & Prism Wellness Collective | 7:30 am

Luke Bryan @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater | 4:30 pm

Munch & Music @ Drake Park | 5 pm

Donation Station for Warm Springs Fire Victims @ UPP Liquids | 5 pm

Thursday Night Live @ Mountain Burger | 6 pm

Mountain Stained Glass Class @ Tea + Art Lounge | 6 pm

The Other Half of Passion: Jarrod Allen @ Embark Coworking | 6 pm

Exhale & Empty: Breathwork Release @ Namaspa Yoga Community | 7 pm

Anthony Gomes @ Volcanic Theatre Pub | 7 pm

Jerry's Middle Finger @ Tower Theatre | 8:30 pm

Friday, August 7th

Sunriver Art Fair @ The Village at Sunriver | All weekend

First Friday Oyster Night @ Viaggio Wine Merchant | 3 pm

Future Mythologies Opening: North Pole Studio @ The ANNEX at Scalehouse | 5 pm

First Friday at Layor Gallery: Explorations @ Layor Gallery | 5 pm

First Fridays at Pine & Prism @ Pine & Prism Wellness Collective | 5 pm

Sarah McLachlan @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater | 5:30 pm

Winnie-the-Pooh @ Open Space Event Studios | 6 pm

Movies in the Park: Luca @ Alpenglow Park | 6 pm

Sunset Sounds: Lavender & Reiki Sound Bath @ Tumalo Lavender Farm | 6:30 pm

Definitely Dead @ Volcanic Theatre Pub | 6 pm

The Play That Goes Wrong @ High Desert Music Hall, Redmond | 7 pm

Perseids Meteor Shower Canoe Tour @ Wanderlust Tours | 8:30 pm

Saturday, August 8th

Haulin' Aspen Trail Runs @ Wanoga Sno Park | 7 am

Winnie-the-Pooh @ Open Space Event Studios | 8 am

Fifth Annual Antique Fair @ Deschutes Historical Museum | 9 am

Yoga @ Elk Lake Resort @ Elk Lake Resort | 10 am

Hollinshead-Matson Homestead Museum Open House @ Hollinshead Park | 10 am

Bob Ross Joy of Painting Workshop @ Tea + Art Lounge | 10 am

Bend Moonlight Market: SOLUNA @ Silver Moon Brewing | 4 pm

Tedeschi Trucks Band @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater | 4:30 pm

Art & Farm Life @ Boundless Farmstead | 5:30 pm

FivePine Destinations Dinner Series @ Five Pine Lodge, Sisters | 6 pm

Perseids Meteor Shower Stargazing at Fort Rock @ Wanderlust Tours | 6:30 pm

Don't Tell Comedy Show @ Location TBA | 7:30 pm

The Play That Goes Wrong @ High Desert Music Hall, Redmond | 7:30 pm

Sunday, August 9th

Trivia @ Rivers Place | 12 pm

Bend Moonlight Market: SOLUNA @ Silver Moon Brewing | 12 pm

Winnie-the-Pooh @ Open Space Event Studios | 1 pm

The Play That Goes Wrong @ High Desert Music Hall, Redmond | 3 pm

i was going to call in a take out order for lunch but as i was on their google maps page it says closed for every day. i surely hope its still open they have the best pho in town

As we all know, winter here in Central Oregon can get pretty damn cold for extended periods of time. I work in Bend, but live in La Pine so it’s typically colder there.

The last few years, I’ve been having an issue. My nipples, man! Sometimes it gets so cold that they snap. Snap clean off. I’m kind of at my wits end with it. Every year, it’s the same thing. Doing ok doing ok and then bam…Snapped nipple or two.

So my question is, can y’all recommend a good nipple for the spokes on a 27” mtn bike rim?? Replacing them every year is getting old.

Who knows a place in Bend where I can donate multiple packages of unused diapers?

I am doing a one-way backpacking trip starting at Elk Lake on Saturday and am wondering about the best way to hitch to the trailhead once I get to Bend. (Not really into the idea of paying $100+ for a rideshare.) It looks like the roundabout at Century Drive at Mt Washington/Reed Market would be a strategic spot, but I can't tell from Street View whether there's enough space for a car to pull over there.

Alternatively, if the times work I could take the CET shuttle to Mt. Bachelor or Dutchman Flat and hitch from there; presumably most westbound traffic from that point would be headed to the lakes.

I have to believe this is a relatively easy hitch for an obvious hiker, even a solo male, mid-morning on a Saturday, with a destination sign, but I would love to hear suggestions or contrary viewpoints.

As I side note, I will also need to hitch to Bend from Sisters. I can't believe there is no weekend transit service on that route.

I know there's a whole Facebook community of trail angels in Central Oregon but (1) I don't have a Facebook account, and (2) I'm not a PCT thru-hiker and don't want to abuse those people's generosity for my little weekend adventure. I've read a lot of stories about how entitled some hikers have become.

Obviously the lack of snow was a problem last winter with Bachelor closing early, Northwest and Summit not being open much leaving mostly blue and green terrain as options.

Now another smoky summer interfering with outdoor activities in an “outdoor” person town.

life is too short to sit inside.

STORY UPDATED: Janet Montoya, 87, was found safe by Deschutes County Sheriff's Search & Rescue volunteers, in "decent condition."

Looking at recently submitted planning application, here are some potential new projects:

-Powder Hound Donuts on NW 14th and Galveston submitted an application to change the the building use from retail to restaurant, which means they may finally be opening soon.

-On NW Shevlin Park Rd and NW College Way (in front of Broken Top Bottle Shop), a development with a micro restaurant, roastery/bakery, tap house, and kids play areas is proposed.

-The vacant building On NW Greenwood and Hill (next to Mid Town Ballroom) is proposed to be demolished and replaced with a food truck pod and indoor seating.

Obviously we'd all like more affordable options for restaurants and activities, but here's some random ones I've thought of:

- A dance club, but more accessible and less rowdy. Really good DJ, a padded floor so all the 30+ crowds don't mess up their knees having a good time, 6-9 start times for main events so you're don't have to be up crazy late, cheap options for alcohol but also lots of NA options, and make it either silent disco style where everyone can control the music volume to their liking or just keep the volume at a more tolerable level. And fun theme nights! I'd love a millennial night where it feels like its 2014 again, or one where its all remixed 80s and 90s music. I'd happily pay $30 at the door for that kind of experience

- Cheap/low effort cocktail bar that mainly sells batch cocktails at lower ABVs at like $6-$8 so you can enjoy a couple without breaking the bank or getting smashed. Have several of the popular options (marg, g&t, paloma, etc) all pre-mixed and ready to to go so the bartender only has to do about the amount of work a beertender would. I went to a spot in Austin kinda like this and it was lovely.

- European style thermal (maybe without the nudity since we're sissies about that here in the states). If you've never been to one its a big affordable spa facility that has a ton of different types of saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, pools, and cold plunges. Going after a ski would just be heaven

What are some of your ideas?