A sudden mid-afternoon shower and mini-hail storm threatened to drive the Sweet Medical Center's Business After Hours inside. By time for the outdoor set up in the parking lot south of the building, the sun was out and it was a beautiful summer evening, perfect for an outdoor party. The event was co-sponsored by Drs. Larry Obie and Robert Chaffin, whose clinics are also located at the Sweet Center. Dr. Obie operates the vision and eye service and Dr. Chaffin operates Chinook Dental.

The Stonebroke String Band was set up on the lawn playing varied selection of bluegrass, popular and country songs. Several little girls, in grass skirts, spent the evening dancing in front of the bandstand and entertaining guests with their antics. In addition to live music there were door prizes, tours of the medical center and tacos, lots of tacos.

CEO Dana Pyette said, "We were a little worried about hosting the event outside with the unstable weather but it turned out to be a very pleasant evening." She said they had planned for 125 guests and the numbers on the door prize tickets suggested that was about the number of guests that came during the two-hour event.

Pyette added one of the things they wanted everyone to know about was the new Sweet Escapes 2016 raffle program. The raffle is a fundraiser to purchase an emergency generator in case of a power outage at the clinic. Pyette said ticket sales began June 1 and she thought about 30 tickets are already sold. The raffle offers 29 chances to win cash or various trips to destination cities around the U.S. and in Mexico and Canada. There will also be trips to Montana destination sites.

Tickets are $200 and only 300 will be sold. Tickets are available at the Sweet Medical Center, American Garage and First Bank of Montana. To boost interest for early ticket sales, there will be a drawing during the Blaine County Fair for a $1,000 cash prize. The following drawings will be held quarterly. To promote the 'island destination' theme of the raffle, the common areas of the center were festooned with island-themed decorations-and that's also why the little dancers were in grass skirts.

A taco dinner, with trimmings, was served in a unique way. Adam and Mardell Castillo, of Harlem, had pulled their 'mobile taco kitchen' on to the center's south parking lot. Guests lined up, picked up their order at the walk-up window and found a table to enjoy their treat.

Informal tours of the center were being conducted by staff members. Like most professions, the medical providers are incorporating new and amazing technology into their treatment strategies. A mobile 'telehealth' system was demonstrated in one of the examination rooms. The telehealth system is a method for sharing medical information via the internet. The system can host doctor to patient conferences, where travel to a distant office is not practical, and the versatile camera can zoom in to check out the patient. One of the tour guides said the equipment was set up in the waiting room so locals could participate in a nutrition seminar provided via internet.

Steve Edwards

Sweet Medical Center staff member Jackie Gunderson explains to Richard Cronk, seated in the patient chair, how a telehealth system works. The equipment can be used for medical provider and patient interaction from remote locations. Benefis Health System, based in Great Falls, operates the REACH program which provides the equipment to small clinics in the rural areas of northern Montana.

The Center's Business After Hours was a great event, good food, good information and a lovely summer evening. There is no Business After Hours scheduled for July but the Wildlife Museum will host the next After Hours event on August 11. Business After Hours events are open to the public and there is no charge.