Community Memorial Hospital

12/31/2025

We’re wrapping things up for the year and taking a look back at 2025! 💫🎉

Here are few of the highlights:

👩‍⚕️ Our team of providers continues to grow, including additions in the Pain Management Clinic, Walk-in Care, Surgical Services, and more.

⭐ We offered over 20 services this year—everything from primary care to surgery to rehabilitation services.

🙌 Volunteers—including former employees, community members, and students—completed thousands of hours supporting our departments.

❤️ Surgical Services expanded with a brand-new sterile processing department. The full remodel makes use of existing space and expands our capacity to provide excellent surgical care.

📅 Our staff attended many community events throughout the year to present on health topics, answer questions, and engage in activities.

📘CMH offers a health occupations course to high school students from neighboring schools. A total of 64 students took the course during spring and fall 2025 semesters.

🔬Our in-house lab ran tests ranging from simple screenings such as Cholesterol levels to highly advanced molecular tests, such as Gastrointestinal and Respiratory PCR panels.

Wishing you a healthy & joyful 2026!

12/29/2025

Meet Nurse Practitioner Brittany McCullough. 🤝

Interests outside of work:
🍉 Bubbl’r
🌻 Summer
🌅 Evening

Interests at work:
🔷 Pediatrics
🔷 Managing allergies/asthma
🔷 Educating patients to ensure they understand their health conditions

Come see Brittany at Raiter Family Clinic. Online scheduling is available for new and existing patients! Book at https://healow.com/apps/practice/raiter-clinic-6629?v=2&locale=en or by calling 218-879-1271.

12/24/2025

Have a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season from all of us at CMH. 🎄✨

CMH Raiter Family Clinic & CMH Specialty Clinic will be closed on Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 24), Christmas Day (Thursday, December 25), and New Years Day (Thursday, January 1).

Our emergency department is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

12/22/2025

Winter is in full swing in Minnesota accompanied by freezing temperatures, holiday sweaters and yes, the dreaded common cold. ❄️🎄🤧

The bad news: the common cold is caused by a virus, not bacteria. Antibiotics are meant to treat bacterial infections such as strep throat or pneumonia, which means they’re ineffective against viruses.

The good news: you can treat a common cold at home. No prescription required. Physician Assistant Kate Kensrud recommends treating viral infections with:

✅ Over-the-counter medications (Mucinex, Flonase, Tylenol, ibuprofen)
🧂 Saltwater gurgles
🥤 Drinking a lot of fluids
💤 Resting

If your symptoms last longer than 7-10 days, walk-in care is available at CMH Raiter Family Clinic, weekdays (M-F) from 8:30 AM-4 PM.

CMH Raiter Family Clinic & CMH Specialty Clinic will be closed on Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 24), Christmas Day (Thursday, December 25), and New Years Day (Thursday, January 1).

Our emergency department is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.

12/17/2025

Guess the item: Primary care edition ✨🦉👂

From otoscopes to ear washers, medical assistants use many tools in their day-to-day work at CMH Raiter Family Clinic, but do they know these tools by sound?

Online scheduling is available for new and existing primary care patients! Visit https://healow.com/apps/practice/raiter-clinic-6629?v=2&locale=en or call 218-879-1271.

12/15/2025

Big fan of fall, coffee, and a nice afternoon. 🍂☕

When he’s not spending time outdoors with his family, Nurse Practitioner Ryan Hursh is busy seeing patients at Raiter Family Clinic.

His interests at the clinic include:
🔷 Pediatrics
🔷 Men’s health
🔷 Treating every patient like family

Come see Ryan at Raiter Family Clinic. Online scheduling is available for new and existing patients! Book at https://healow.com/apps/practice/raiter-clinic-6629?v=2&locale=en or by calling 218-879-1271.

12/12/2025

Thank you United Way of Carlton and Pine County Area and Community Memorial Hospital Auxiliary / Volunteer Service Organization for providing coats and winter gear to 300+ members of our community! 💙☃️

The annual coat drive collected and distributed more than 300 coats, with organizers noting that increased financial strain is fueling a growing need in Carlton County.

12/10/2025

Have you ever been at an appointment and wondered what the color flags mean outside of an exam room? 🏥➡️

At Raiter Family Clinic, communication in all forms is essential to keeping operations running smoothly, including communicating with color!

Our nurse supervisor breaks it down for all our non-clinical people out there. (It does vary depending on the provider, but this is just one example of what they may stand for!)

12/08/2025

We’re happy to announce a new partnership with PAVSA and Fond du Lac Advocacy Services.

If you have been sexually assaulted, a specially trained nurse (also known as a sexual assault nurse examiner or SANE) and advocate are here for you at the CMH Emergency Room. These compassionate professionals are available 24/7 to provide:

🩺Medical care
💊Medications
🔎Evidence Collection
📋Reporting Options
🧡Support

We believe you and we believe in you.

12/05/2025

After a two-month stay, patient Josh Horky was discharged yesterday with a proper send-off by his CMH care team. 🎉👏🩵

Over ten years ago, Josh fell from a tree and was paralyzed from the waist down. After four surgeries during his initial recovery, Josh had been largely stable for a decade. When he started to experience symptoms of “Charcot spine,” a degenerative condition caused by loss of nerve sensation following a spinal cord injury, he was referred to Dr. Taylor Paziuk at Orthopaedic Associates of Duluth.

On October 5th, Josh was admitted to CMH for a L2-pelvis reconstruction and fusion surgery performed by Dr. Paziuk. This rare and complex surgery took over nine hours and required nearly two months of bed rest.

During his stay, Josh built friendly relationships with his entire care team and said “CMH is the best medical facility [I’ve] ever stayed at.”

It was a privilege to be part of Josh’s journey, and we wish him the best during his continued recovery!

12/03/2025

Winter is not so bad when you're skiing! ❄️⛷️

Dr. Kenneth Ripp will take any chance he can get to be out in nature and be active, even if that means enjoying some winter weather.

When he’s not hitting the slopes, his weekdays are packed full, caring for and guiding his patients, including:
➡️ Caring for patients of all ages at CMH Raiter Family Clinic
➡️ Working as the medical director of Carlton County and caring for inmates at the jail
➡️ Reading DEXA (bone density) scans

Come see Dr. Ripp at Raiter Family Clinic. Online scheduling is available for new and existing patients! Book at https://healow.com/apps/practice/raiter-clinic-6629?v=2&locale=en or by calling 218-879-1271.

12/01/2025

Elephants, hoodies, and getting to know patients and their families. Meet family physician Dr. Erin Louks-Smith. 🐘✨

When she’s not attending raves or sipping coffee, Dr. Louks-Smith is busy at the clinic, helping her patients live a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Louks-Smith’s interests as a physician include:
➡️ Lifestyle medicine
➡️ Wellness as we age
➡️ Adolescent health and development

Come see Dr. Louks-Smith at Raiter Family Clinic. Online scheduling is available for new and existing patients! Book at https://healow.com/apps/practice/raiter-clinic-6629?v=2&locale=en or by calling 218-879-1271.