Scenic Rivers Health Services is a Community Health Center and a Federally Qualified Health Center. Originally started as Cook Area Health Services in 1979, we’ve been expanding into new clinics and gaining new providers ever since. We currently serve an 8,500 square mile area with seven medical clinics and four dental clinics. Scenic Rivers Health Services is associated with critical access hospitals in Cook and Bigfork, allowing us to provide patient care 24 hours a day.
Our focus is providing quality primary care. We live, work and play in the communities we serve. Our mission is to provide medical, dental and behavioral health services in a remote, rural area of northern Minnesota. We recognize our patients are the reason we are here, and we know it’s our job to keep our rural communities healthy.
At Scenic Rivers Health Services, we strive for a positive culture. Teamwork is valued in a supportive environment to achieve optimal patient care. We encourage a strong work-life balance, with a positive mindset and respect for one another. All employees play a critical role in shaping a culture of accountability, ensuring they and their coworkers meet high standards, thus inspiring everyone on our team.
At this time, donations will be delegated to rehabilitating the Cook Dental clinic which was affected by the Little Fork River flash flood the week of June 19th.
Drone footage of Little Fork River flash flood damage
The city of Cook was partially flooded, which included our main dental clinic. We incurred extensive damage to the building and suffered significant damage to our dental equipment. Fortunately, we have flood insurance to cover a portion of the damage to the building. However, we do not have coverage for the contents of the building, including the dental chairs, cabinetry, and other equipment.
An initial assessment by a representative from Patterson Dental is that most of, if not all, the cabinets are a total loss. The representative believes the chairs themselves are fine, but the bases which contain the electrical components are compromised. It is possible we’ll have to replace all of the operatory chairs. The sterilization equipment is a complete loss and will need to be replaced. There are other pieces of equipment that still need to be evaluated. Next week a technician from Patterson will provide a more complete inventory of what is salvageable and what is irrecoverable. For now, our dental clinic in Cook is closed and will remain so until we are able to make these repairs, replace the equipment, and ensure a safe and clean environment for everyone to return to.
Donations help Scenic Rivers continue to provide quality and compassionate medical, dental and behavioral health services to underserved and rural communities.
We love what we do and the people we serve. Our goal is to continue to create a solid foundation for SRHS to build off for generations to come.
If you have any questions, please email kbaker@scenicrivershealth.org
If you feel more comfortable donating directly to SRHS, please use the information below.
Scenic Rivers Health Services
ATTN: Kara Jean Baker
20 5th Street South
Cook, MN 55723
We appreciate your support!
