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

Join our team of volunteers at Essentia Health. To learn more or fill out an application, visit our volunteers page.

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.