Essentia Health-Fosston

Whether you’re a patient or a visitor, we want you to feel welcome. Enjoy our onsite amenities, including:

Cafeteria

Get hot lunch and dinner entrees seven days a week and salad bar Monday through Friday. You’ll find our cafeteria between our long-term care center and the hospital. We also deliver meals to hospital rooms for visitors by request.Cafeteria Hours
Lunch 12 – 1:30 pm daily
Dinner 5:15 – 6:30 pm daily

Gift & Flower Area

Pick up fresh flowers and books at Essentia Health-Fosston. Visit the reception desk in the hospital. Our volunteer greeters will be happy to help you.

Courtyard

Relax in our outdoor seating area. This peaceful space is great for getting some fresh air and sunshine.

Guest Wi-Fi

Take advantage of free guest Wi-Fi.

Volunteers at Essentia Health-Fosston make a healthy difference in the lives of others. Help our patients, visitors, and staff by sharing your time and talents.

Volunteer Opportunities

Explore hospital volunteer opportunities where you can:

• Organize special events and fundraising projects
• Round to offer patients comfort items and assistance
• Help desk
• Make blankets, hats, or gift baskets for babies
• Maintain the courtyard and garden
• Do mailings and special office projects
• Help with resident shopping and activities.
• Help in hospice (This area requires 10 hours of training, which we’ll provide.)
• And more...

Benefits of Volunteering

Besides the great feeling you’ll get by helping others, you can also take advantage of:

• Free lunch or dinner in cafeteria
• Free coffee in cafeteria while volunteering
• Free flu shot
• Annual recognition event
• Flexible hours
• Orientation and training

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 of Fosston Volunteers (EHFV)

EHFV, previously Fosston Auxiliary, raises money for Essentia Health facilities in Fosston and provides community health awareness.EHFV members help with:

• Fundraising – 100 percent of funds raised go to special requests that improve care and comfort for patients and residents. Buying these items may not be possible otherwise. Funds also help create a scholarship for Essentia staff looking to further their education.

• Community Outreach – Members look for ways to offer health education in the community.

For more than 100 years, Essentia Health-Fosston has improved the lives of people in northwest Minnesota by offering high-quality health care.

History Timeline

1897 | Mrs. C. J. Rosser starts a cooperative medical care facility to treat lumbermen who work in the area. Each lumberman pays 75 cents a month to maintain the hospital and get treated at no extra cost.
1898 | Dr. Rosser and his daughter, Rose, take over the hospital.
1899 | Dr. McKinnon reopens the hospital.
1900 | Dr. McKinnon and Dr. Gilmore build a new hospital at a cost of $5,000. It is a two-story building with 1,500 square feet on each floor.
1947 | A fund drive raises $40,000 to buy the hospital and convert it to a nonprofit hospital.
1952 | A bond issue is passed for $32,500 to build a $57,800 addition to the hospital.
1959 | The Hill Burton Act is passed. The federal government agrees to pay 45 percent of the cost of the facility in exchange for providing indigent care. A new bond is issued for $280,000 and passed to build a new hospital.
1961 | The new 39-bed municipal hospital opens.
1964 | A small skilled-nursing care unit is built, adding 14 beds to bring the total license to 53 beds.
1973 | A 50-bed nursing home is built and occupied. The hospital goes from 53 beds to 43.
1993 | The hospital and nursing home reorganize to become First Care Medical Services, a nonprofit facility, and no longer a municipal facility.
1997 | Construction in the nursing home adds bathrooms and activity and therapy areas. Oklee and Fosston clinics open.
1998 | The Wellness Center opens to the public. The facility features exercise equipment for strength training, muscle toning, and cardiovascular conditioning.
2001 | Renovation and addition of a CT Scanner in the radiology department advances diagnostic imaging.
2002 | Construction of $800,000 surgery center is completed.
2004 | Construction of the ambulance services and outpatient addition is completed for $3 million dollars.
2009 | First Care joins Essentia Health.
2010 | Innovis Health Clinic in Fosston becomes part of First Care Medical Services. A $6.1 million construction and remodeling project brings the hospital and clinic together. The project adds 5,700 square feet to the medical campus and remodels 15,000 square feet. The hospital is renamed Essentia Health-Fosston.