Sawtooth Mountain Clinic - 2023 Annual Report - Year in Review

Oct 3, 2026

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Sawtooth Mountain Clinic (SMC) 2023 Annual Report highlights workforce development, service expansion, and community partnerships across Cook County and Grand Portage. It reviews progress using the SMC Strategic Plan, including recruiting and retaining medical professionals and expanding capacity for primary-care services. The report covers graduation outcomes for Certified Clinical Medical Assistants, growth of Behavioral Health, and an Oral Health Task Force initiative that reduced cavities and broadened access to dental support. It also explains the Sliding Fee Scale program and ongoing enrollment priorities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Dear SMC Community

Successes in 2023

Workforce Spotlight: Medical Assistant Apprenticeship

Expanding Services

Service Spotlight: Behavioral Health

Community Partnership

In The Spotlight: Oral Health Task Force

Promoting Access to Healthcare

Our Sliding Fee Scale Program

Sawtooth Mountain Clinic Year in Review 2023 Annual Report 01 Dear SMC Community, I’m excited to present a brand-new Annual Report format. With this new layout and a wider distribution, we hope to share more about what’s going on inside SMC and how it impacts our communities in Cook County and Grand Portage. 2023 was a year of transition in many ways. Asthe COVID-19 pandemic became less deadly (although still a concern) SMC was able to move forward with other projects. Using the SMC Strategic Plan, the SMC Board and staff concentrated on a few top priorities: recruiting top-notch medical professionals, retaining our experienced staff, and expanding capacity – so our patients have easier access to the full range of primary-care services. SMC saw great success this year with onthe-job training programs, graduating both Certified Medical Assistants and Certified Pharmacy Technicians. You can see their stories inside – I’m inspired by their dedication to their community and their desire to keep learning! We also worked with our community partners to expand access to critical health care services like vaccinations, substance use treatment, and oral health services. The story of one special partnership, the Oral Health Task Force, is detailed here. As we look ahead, SMC will continue offering high-quality services, while finding creative ways to expand those services to the community. Warmly, Kate Surbaugh CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 02 Successes in 2023 Workforce Spotlight: Medical Assistant Apprenticeship In 2023, Sawtooth Mountain Clinic (SMC) celebrated many successes in workforce development. Perhaps the most impactful of these was the successful graduation of our first cohort of Certified Clinical Medical Assistants (CCMAs) and the launch of year two of SMC’s CCMA Training Program. Medical support staff, such as CCMAs, are the lynchpin of the clinical care team. In other words, a stable and well-trained support staff team is essential to the continuation of essential healthcare services for residents and visitors of our community. In 2020, SMC leadership recognized that compounding factors, such as a nationwide shortage of licensed clinic support staff, a lack of local healthcare education and training options, and a dire housing crisis that formed a barrier to recruiting from outside of the community, had created a critical need for innovative solutions to healthcare staffing and local workforce development. SMC began exploring options and partnered with the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers (MNACHC) to pilot a training and certification program that would enable SMC to provide high-quality CCMA education and training on-site at SMC. The first cohort was a tremendous success, graduating four licensed CCMAs who continue to provide care here at SMC. The second year of the cohort includes two new participants, both of whom successfully finished the program at the end of 2023 and who we anticipate will earn their licenses in the first quarter of 2024. SMC has received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the program from patients and staff and we are happy to report that the CCMA program is here to stay. Expanding Services Service Spotlight: Behavioral Health Mental health resources and support for well-being continues to be a top priority for Cook County’s residents. Our Behavioral Health department has grown to three Behavioral Health Consultants and we are actively hiring for a fourth. To meet community need we also added a psychiatric nurse practitioner that sees patients once a week via telehealth. SMC looks forward to a continued collaboration with local entities to improve access to mental health resources for our community. Grand Marais Family Dentistry 05 Community Partnership In The Spotlight: Oral Health Task Force Sawtooth Mountain Clinic doesn’t have dental care on-site, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t dedicated to a strong oral health program.

FAQs

What key priorities guided SMC’s work in 2023?

SMC used its Strategic Plan to focus on recruiting top medical professionals, retaining experienced staff, and expanding capacity to improve access to primary-care services.

What workforce development achievements were highlighted for 2023?

The report describes the successful graduation of the first cohort of Certified Clinical Medical Assistants (CCMAs) and the launch of year two of SMC’s CCMA Training Program, enabling on-site education and certification.

How does SMC expand access to healthcare for patients with financial limitations?

SMC explains its Sliding Fee Scale program, a federal program that reduces the cost of qualifying medical, dental, mental health, and other services regardless of insurance and immigration status.

Oct 3, 2026

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