News

Building upon the tenacity of our community in their determination to see a thriving hospital providing care to the residents of the Deer River area, we have been acting on that spirit with our Cornerstone Employee Giving Fund campaign.  Developed after the affiliation with Essentia Health, this fund allows employees the ability to give-back to their team and the patients in unique and tangible ways - of their choosing.  Our Campaign began in May with banana splits and root beer floats, encouraging submissions of project ideas that would enhance the delivery of care for providers, and the receiving of care

What is the measure of touching a life…particularly, a teenager’s life in our ever-changing culture?  The Campus Life program has been supporting and impacting youth in the Deer River area for over 20 years.  In that time, much has changed for our youth and the world in which they are growing up.  However, one thing remains steadfast and unchanging - the need to be heard and validated.   Heather Schjenken has been the Campus Life Director in Deer River since 1998, and offers this sentiment, “I’ve been fortunate to see first-hand the impact Campus life has made on so many young

The pandemic has taught us much about the needs of our communities and the importance of the village in caring for one another. When students were not attending classes, it became increasingly apparent that schools are a huge part of that village - in many ways. One specific way was in the schools’ offering of their King Pantry which provides food for school families and community members.  In collaboration with Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, ISD #317 is able to “...deliver food to families, they can pick it up at school, and we can send food home on buses

Any form of post-secondary education can be challenging, and it can be extra challenging to return to school as a non-traditional student where, sometimes, the stakes are higher, available free time is less, and the cost of that education can be a barrier.  Because of generous donors, Forward Health Foundation is able to offer healthcare career scholarships to employees of Essentia Health - Deer River & Grand Rapids, looking to advance their skills, enhance their knowledge and further their career.  We are thankful for the opportunity to give back to our community by helping ease the financial burden of returning

What an unprecedented couple of years this has been!  The only constant we have been able to count on - is change.  That change has been rapid, on-going, and it sometimes seems out of our control.  Many of us are just trying to catch our tails in our day-to-day lives all the while working to endure this pandemic.  There have been many individuals, businesses and industries that have had to alter their delivery of resources, goods and/or services to meet the ever-changing needs of their communities - often based upon declared instruction, and with little notice.  One of those industries