Scenic River Health Services

It’s a service area of over 7,800 square miles, larger than some states.

Yet it averages only 2.5 people per square mile and is far from urban services.

Question: How to make sure everyone in such a remote area has access to primary health care?

That is the challenge for Cook Area Health Services, explained CEO Mike Holmes.

Started in 1979 when the HMO that serviced Cook left, Cook Area Health Services was organized to provide staffing for a medical and dental clinic there.

But there was a need for primary medical services in more of the surrounding rural area. Today it has grown to employ health professionals at five medical and two dental clinics including Bigfork, Big Falls, Northome, Cook and Floodwood. In the future, the organization hopes to be able to add another clinic in Tower.

The clinics are known as Scenic Rivers Health Services, and in Bigfork the doctors and nurse practitioners also provide medical services for Bigfork Valley Hospital.

In all, CAHS employs seven physicians, three nurse practitioners, four dentists and three dental hygienists as well as 75 nursing, billing, medical records and support staff.

Three of the physicians are at Bigfork. “I believe the Bigfork community is truly blessed by having three dedicated physicians that have been there for a long period of time,” said Holmes. “They are quality physicians. They are not only fine physicians, they are fine individuals, too.”

Although there are advantages to the lifestyle of northern Minnesota, all rural areas still find it a challenge to attract and retain enough doctors. Family practice is not emphasized as much as it was in medical school 20 years ago, explained Holmes, and the high cost of medical school often encourages new doctors to practice in lucrative urban specialties.

Holmes has tracked rural health care his whole career. In 1979 he was the chief financial officer of the Cook Hospital. When the decision was made to form the clinic, he became CEO of the new CAHS and has held that position since.

Over the last 25 years he has seen changes. Although the population over those years has been fairly stable, there has been a growing number of uninsured, from about 12 percent ten years ago to a projected over 30 percent of the population in the service area this year. There are a variety of reasons for this, Holmes believes. There was a noticeable effect when the LTV mine closed. As insurance costs have increased, smaller employers have also found it difficult to maintain benefits, and some employees have chosen to drop dependent coverage.

About 40 percent of the population is covered through Medicare, Medicaid or Minnesota Care.

Scenic River Health Services addresses this need through a program to help low income families with a sliding fee scale for services. It also has access to the 340B prescription discounts through the Bigfork Valley Pharmacy.

It’s not easy to maintain medical and dental care in small rural communities. But Holmes believes the access to health care has improved through the efforts of CAHS.

And that fact, he said, is what makes his job very rewarding.

Scenic Rivers Health Services

Bigfork clinic: 218-743-3232
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sat: 8 a.m. - noon
Big Falls clinic: 218-276-2403
Mon. and Thurs. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Northome clinic: 218-897-5222
Mon.-Fri.: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tues-Thurs until 6 p.m.