Cook Hospital

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Cook Hospital 10 Southeast Fifth Street Cook, Minnesota 55723 Phone: (218) 666-5945 Toll Free: 1-866-324-5945 W. C. HEIAM FOUNDATION Visit the official site of the W. C. Heiam Foundation In the past twenty-five to thirty years, approximately 35 hospitals in small towns all across Minnesota have closed their doors. Though some have survived by consolidating, most have dissolved -- their staffs absorbed by larger medical centers and HMOs. In spite of challenges and its location in a town of less than 1,000, the Cook Hospital in Cook, Minn., is defying the accepted fact that health care facilities can't survive in small communities. Dedicated to individualized attention as well as state-of-the-art, high-quality medical services, the hospital is a product of a community that recognizes value and refuses alternatives. At the W. C. Heiam Medical Foundation, we work to support the Cook Hospital because we understand that health care is an integral component of community and economic development. Your support can help the Cook Hospital continue to provide the highest level of health care for everyone. "Ever since my high school days, I have wanted to become a great surgeon. To relieve the sufferings of the sick and cause the sun to shine in people's lives, is to my notion, one of the highest callings there is." Dr. William C. Heiam September 1920 The Promise of a Legacy Born in 1898, William C. Heiam arrived in Cook in 1926, shortly after graduating from medical school. Acting on a lifelong dream to open a medical facility in a remote and underserved region, he opened the Cook General Hospital in 1932. Open until 1959, the Cook General Hospital served the residents of both Cook and outlying areas as well as the many loggers, hunters and tourists who frequented the wilderness and remote-access areas surrounding the community. Dr. Heiam was well known for his willingness to treat anyone, regardless of race, religion or ability to pay. He often accepted deer meat, wild rice and other local goods in lieu of payment. In the 1950s, Dr. Heiam realized that his facility no longer met state and/or federal regulations and that the area required a larger and more advanced hospital. At the time, federal money was available through the Hill-Burton Act of 1946. The only catch was that the federal government would pay for only 45 percent of the total cost. In order to raise the money, Dr. Heiam and others employed many traditional as well as unorthodox methods such as boxing matches, variety shows, the Ashawa Summerfest and the "Name that Island" contest. In the end, the community raised $380,000 it needed, and the new hospital opened on October 26, 1959. Hospital Fills Vital Role Today, the Cook Hospital is a vibrant and critical medical community with a vision to grow and improve into the future. Located in both a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) and a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), the facility serves a winter population of approximately 5,000 and a summer population near 12,500. The first line for wilderness medicine, the hospital treats hundreds of vacationers and summer residents each year -- for conditions from lightning strikes and embedded fish hooks to sprained ankles and broken arms. Acclaimed by regional and statewide residents alike, the Cook Hospital is known for quality care and personal attention that supersede the status quo. Many people take assurance in the hospital's presence as well as its transfer agreements with larger hospitals in cities like Hibbing, Virginia and Duluth. Additionally, the hospital plays a crucial economic role, employing 145 people from Cook and the surrounding area. Foundation Seeks to Increase Support Though the Cook Hospital is a thriving example of what is possible when a community bands together, the facility still struggles to make ends meet. A district-owned and legislatively formed body, the hospital can levy taxes for capital improvements, but has no means to fund the continual investments that must be made in high-tech equipment and outreach programs. The role of the W. C. Heiam Medical Foundation is to help the Cook Hospital fulfill its vision to continue increasing the quality and scope of services available. Currently, the foundation's financial worth is approximately $1.1 million, which is invested conservatively by a professional financial advisor. In order to make a greater and truly sustaining annual contribution, the foundation must increase its base to $2 million. On such equity, sizable interest dollars could be generated each year, allowing the foundation to increase its contributions. Ways to Give Donations to the W. C. Heiam Medical Foundation, which is a non-profit (501) (C3) organization, are totally tax deductible to the extent of the law. A representative from our Foundation Board would be happy to personally discuss the benefits of making a gift to the W. C. Heiam Foundation. We do not provide legal or tax advice, however, and we do recommend that donors considering larger gifts discuss such options with their estate planner, attorney and/or financial consultant. You can donate to the foundation through cash, pledges, memorials, real estate, securities, wills, equipment or life insurance policies. A donor recognition wall proudly displays the names of contributors who cumulative givings is $1000 and above. This display can be found in the main south entry of the Cook Hospital. A PDF donation form is available for printing. 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