Flathead Electric Cooperative’s Roundup for Safety Directors has awarded $44,080 to nine area nonprofits, including Flathead County Search and Rescue Association.
Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont.
In the 1970s, if you had a medical emergency in Bigfork, you were likely in for a long wait while the ambulance crew from Kalispell made its way south. For some residents, waiting wasn t an option, and without a doctor in town, they d head to Dr. Doug Smith s dental practice for help.
A dentist by trade, Smith also had some training in general medicine, learned in part through dental school, followed by an internship in the emergency room at Denver General Hospital. He d patch them up as best he could, but a series of unfortunate events led Smith to wonder if he could do more.