 Staff members from Scenic Rivers Health Services broke ground on their Big Four Clinic Expansion Project today. As Malmayer reports, the community was excited to see the health care facility grow to reach more residents in rural Minnesota. I want to thank everybody for coming to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Scenic Rivers Clinic Expansion Project today. Staff, stakeholders, and community members gathered at the facility to see the progress made on the site. Construction crews started a couple of weeks ago on the $1.2 million project. We have some guest speakers today. Guest speakers recalled how the clinic has changed since it first opened. It had six exam rooms. We had our business office in there. We had a dentist and his practice in there. And somehow we made it work. Now faced with the crowded clinic space in need for even more staff, it was time to grow again. The expansion will add an additional 3,200 square feet of space. We are out of room. We've been out of room for several years. Big Fork Valley Chair Dr. George Rown said that recruiting physicians and other staff will be one of the biggest challenges in the future. So far, two new physicians have signed on and will likely move into the new clinic area. A new facility, a spacious facility, is going to go a long way towards helping to recruit physicians. Scenic River CEO Mike Holmes said that we're living in challenging times as the future of health care is quickly changing. But they're looking to meet that in stride. Big Fork is a shining star in what small communities must do in order to survive. Big Fork Mayor Amy Fieber says the expansion is wonderful for the rural community. Big Fork is moving forward. And this will help tremendously. The expansion project is expected to be completed by the end of October. In Big Fork, I'm Mel Meyer, Lakeland News. Scenic River says they hope that once the project is completed, the expansion will allow staff to have an additional 2,000 visits next year. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.