Get Directions
Essentia Health-Deer RiverParking & Entrance Information
We’re in the same building as the Essentia Health-Deer River Clinic and we share an entrance off 10th Avenue NE. You’ll find free parking in our surface lot. For emergency care, follow signs to the emergency room.
Patient Information
Explore our patients and visitors section to find information about billing, financial assistance, medical records, patient rights and responsibilities, and more.
Facility Overview
Rely on the Essentia Health-Deer River hospital for personalized medical care close to home. Our knowledgeable medical providers treat you like family. This means we go above and beyond when caring for you and your loved ones.We’re a Level IV Trauma Center and 20-bed Critical Access Hospital. Our 24-hour emergency room and private, hotel-like hospital rooms are all here for you. You’ll find us in the same building as the Essentia Health-Deer River Clinic and Essentia Health-Homestead.
Hospital Services
Whether you need a little help along the road to recovery or around-the-clock medical care, Deer River hospital is here for you. Get healing support near you from a knowledgeable team of medical professionals who offer:
- Anesthesiology
- Chemotherapy & Immunotherapy
- Colorectal Surgery
- Computed Tomography (CT) Scan
- Diabetes Education
- Dietitian (Inpatient)
- Dietitian (Outpatient)
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrine Surgery
- General Surgery
- Gynecologic Surgery
- Hospitalist Services
- Imaging & Radiology
- Infusion Therapy
- Lab Services
- Lung Cancer Screening
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Mammography
- Occupational Therapy (Inpatient)
- Occupational Therapy (Outpatient)
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Physical Therapy (Inpatient)
- Physical Therapy (Outpatient)
- Sleep Medicine
- Sleep Study Lab
- Speech-Language Therapy (Inpatient)
- Speech-Language Therapy (Outpatient)
- Spiritual Care
- Substance User Disorder
- Toxicology
- Transitional Care
Not finding what you're looking for? Find other services and specialties at a location near you.
Services may be provided by a visiting medical provider who sees patients here on a limited basis.
Services may be provided here via a secure video chat with an off-site medical provider.
Inpatient Vs. Outpatient Hospital Services
If you have a test or procedure performed at a hospital but are not admitted, you’re an outpatient. Common outpatient procedures may include X-rays, labs, and emergency room visits. If your doctor admits you to the hospital for an overnight stay, you’re typically an inpatient.One exception to this is if your doctor places you on observation status. In this case, you may stay overnight in the hospital but are still considered an outpatient. If you’re a Medicare patient, your status can affect your coverage. Visit Medicare.gov to learn more.
Charges for Hospital Services
We are committed to price transparency and provide a full list of services offered at this hospital and the related standard charges. A charge is defined as the dollar amount Essentia sets for a hospital service and does not include any discounts negotiated with insurance companies.
24/7 Emergency Room
If you or a loved one have a severe or life-threatening medical concern, rely on our 24-hour emergency room. Deer River hospital has a Level IV Trauma Center designation and an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital designation. Rest easy knowing life-saving support is as close as your local hospital.
Compliments & Complaints
If you’d like to share a compliment, concern, or suggestion, please fill out our online compliments and complaints form.
Support Our Hospital
Have you been inspired by the care you or a loved one received? Support your local hospital and clinic by donating to the Forward Health Foundation. The Foundation provides financial support to Essentia Health-Deer River with help from patients and family members like you.
-
Amenities
-
Volunteer
-
History
Whether you’re a patient or a visitor, we want you to feel welcome. Enjoy our onsite amenities, including:
River’s Edge Café
Enjoy fresh food on site. River’s Edge Café is on the main floor of the hospital and is open seven days a week.Café Hours
Continental breakfast 7 – 9:30 am daily
Hot lunch 10:30 am – 1 pm daily
Grab-and-go items 7 am – 7 pm daily
Chapel
Visit our chapel on the main floor of the hospital near the lobby. People of all faiths are welcome to enjoy this tranquil, healing space for meditation and prayer. Learn more about spiritual care at Essentia Health.
Guest Wi-Fi
Take advantage of free guest Wi-Fi.
Gathering Area
Help yourself to free coffee and water in our gathering area in the main lobby, across from the gift shop. We have tables and chairs for patients and visitors.
Enrich the lives of patients and community members by volunteering at Essentia Health-Deer River. We have a diverse group of volunteers who range from high school students to retirees. We invite you to share your unique talent or skills with us.
Volunteer Opportunities
Work with patients or behind the scenes. Our goal is to match your interests with the right volunteer opportunities. Explore areas like:
- Gift shop
- Welcome and information desk
- Community events
- Committees
- Senior enrichment aide
- Homestead Living Center and Friendship Haven Adult Day Service
- Staff and services support
- And more (just inquire!)
Benefits of Volunteering
Besides enriching the lives of others and feeling a sense of accomplishment, you’ll enjoy these great perks:
- Free café meal with every four-hour shift
- Gift shop discount when minimum hour requirement is met
- Annual volunteer appreciation event
- Friendly, caring team atmosphere
- Health care career job-shadowing
Become a Volunteer
Interested in being part of this rewarding experience? Email us at DeerRiverVolunteers@Essentiahealth.org or call 218-246-4387. (Please note the minimum age to volunteer at Essentia Health-Deer River is 14.)
Essentia Health-Deer River hospital has been serving the Deer River community for many years. While our name has changed, our commitment to providing high-quality medical care in our rural neighborhood hasn’t.
History Timeline
1955 | Leaders of the old two-story Deer River Hospital learn they can no longer operate in the current building. So, the hospital board goes to the Department of Health with a plan. Thus, one of the largest volunteer projects ever seen in Deer River begins. A volunteer hospital committee is formed, and community residents rally to create the Auxiliary to raise funds for a new hospital.
1957 | An election is held to form the Deer River Community Memorial Hospital Women’s Auxiliary.
1958 | Community Memorial Hospital construction begins.
1963 | Moving from one hospital to another in a snow storm, the new hospital opens its doors on April 15, 1963.
1973 | Homestead Nursing Home, now known as Homestead Living Center, opens.
1981 | Friendship Haven, the first adult day-stay program in Itasca County, opens at Community Memorial Hospital. Located in the Goodall Resource Center, Friendship Haven Adult Day Services provides a daily program to serve the physical, social, and emotional needs of adults who have difficulty with independent living but do not need 24-hour care.
1985 | Silverline Bus is added to Community Memorial Hospital. Silverline Bus provides transportation for older adults and persons with disabilities. (They traveled a million miles in 2002.)
1990 | Comstock Court, a 30-unit assisted living apartment complex, is built on the Community Memorial Hospital campus. Spacious one- and two-bedroom apartments provide a comfortable home located close to family, friends, and medical care.
1995 | An attached clinic is built and leased by SMDC as the Deer River Clinic. Deer River Clinic is a family practice clinic connected to the Community Memorial Hospital.
1997 | The facility is renamed Deer River Healthcare Center (DRHC). The helipad is also completed for the LifeFlight helicopter that provides trauma and medical flight transportation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
2000 | The Goodall Resource Center and DRHC′s administrative offices are built. The Center is connected to Homestead and houses several community programs, including Loving Hands Child Care Center, Head Start, Food Shelf, Friendship Haven Adult Day Services, a chiropractor, psychologists, and meeting rooms.
2001 | The ambulance garage with living and sleeping quarters is constructed. The hospital core renovation is completed, including the redesign of the surgical suite, lab, diagnostic services, and central supply.
2007 | The largest hospital renovation plan in DRHC′s history is announced. The expanded facility features a state-of-the-art surgery center with operating suites, procedure rooms, pre-operative rooms, and post-operative care units. The surgery center is adjacent to a new hospital wing with private patient rooms, hospice quarters, and a new labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum (LDRP) unit.
2012 | September 1, 2012, DRHC signs formal papers affiliating the hospital, its clinics, long-term care center, and senior housing with Essentia Health. DRHC becomes Essentia Health-Deer River.