Scenic Rivers Health Services

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. 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, 2024.

The city of Cook was partially flooded, including 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 was that most of, if not all, the cabinets were a total loss. The representative believed the chairs themselves were 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 needs to be replaced. There are other pieces of equipment still needing to be evaluated.

The Cook Dental Clinic was closed for six weeks while we worked to ensure a safe and clean environment for staff and patients to return to. While some of the equipment was irrecoverable and the community we serve took a massive hit, our staff and Administrative Team remained persistent in finding ways to accommodate appointments. During the closure, staff were able to see patients at our Tower location, while others assisted with cleaning, tear-down and other tasks to help maintain efficiency. 

The current running total for repairs is around $720,000. The total estimated cost is now around $950,000.

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. 

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!