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    Riverwood Healthcare Center Honored with Four Minnesota Hospital Association Awards

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is proud to celebrate its exceptional team, recognized with four awards at the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) Spring Innovation Forum Award Ceremony. These awards highlight Riverwood’s unwavering commitment to innovation, community engagement, and high-quality patient care. Angela Harmon, RN, ED Supervisor, was honored with the Nursing Excellence Award for her outstanding leadership, […]

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    Riverwood welcomes Provider Recruitment Specialist

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to introduce Provider Recruitment Specialist Alaina Hagestuen. In her new role in Provider Recruitment, Hagestuen will oversee and coordinate the entire process of attracting, screening, interviewing, hiring and onboarding new medical staff members to Riverwood, focusing on finding the best providers who have a passion for providing care and making […]

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    Riverwood welcomes human resources director

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Deb Gruber as its new director of Human Resources. In this key leadership role, Gruber will plan, lead, and coordinate the activities of Riverwood’s Human Resources department—ensuring legal compliance, fostering a positive work culture, and aligning HR strategy with the organization’s overall mission and goals. […]

    Riverwood Ranks in Top 5% of U.S. Hospitals for Patient Experience

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    [Aitkin, Minn., May 20, 2025] – Riverwood Healthcare Center announced that it has been recognized as a 2025 Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ recipient by Healthgrades, the top website Americans use when searching for a doctor or a hospital. This achievement reflects Riverwood’s commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care and puts the organization in the top 5 […]

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    Aitkin hospital earns five-star rating for cleanliness

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    Recently, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services announced a list of 374 hospitals across the country that have earned a five-star rating for cleanliness, including Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin, Minn. This report is based on patient satisfaction surveys issued and compiled by the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), a […]

    Riverwood, DAC announce Bunker Hill Drive building sale

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center and the Developmental Achievement Center (DAC) of Aitkin County closed on the sale of the log building property at 601 Bunker Hill Drive in Aitkin on April 18. In 2008, Riverwood began renting the log building from Aitkin County Growth (now Growth Innovations) to house a sleep center and several outpatient services. […]

    Riverwood announces McGregor pharmacy manager

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to announce that Pharmacist Jake Heggem is the new manager of its retail pharmacy in McGregor. Heggem has worked in pharmacy roles since 2011 when he began working as a pharmacy technician while attending college. He then worked as a pharmacy intern while pursuing his pharmacy degree and most recently […]

    Orthopaedic, interventional spine care restores mobility

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    Nancy B. is deeply thankful to Riverwood Healthcare Center for providing the expert medical care that helped restore her mobility and independence. Several years after retiring from a fulfilling career teaching optometric technology at St. Cloud Technical College and serving as a paraoptometric education coordinator for the American Optometric Association, Nancy began experiencing severe hip […]

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center Amplifies Rural Health Voice on State, National Stage

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is making its voice heard at both the state and national levels as leaders advocate for the future of rural health care. U.S. Senator Tina Smith recently visited Riverwood to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing rural hospitals. During her visit, she met with leadership and clinical staff […]

    Advancing Laboratory Diagnostics at Riverwood

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    We want to take a moment to recognize the critical role that our laboratory plays in patient care every single day. At Riverwood, our lab is more than a behind-the-scenes operation. It’s a vital part of how we deliver timely, accurate diagnoses and guide treatment decisions for our patients. Recently, our laboratory took a major […]

    Ryan Henry Honored with DAISY Award

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      Riverwood Healthcare Center is proud to announce that Ryan Henry, LPN, a nurse in the Aitkin Primary Care Clinic, has been selected as the latest recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Henry has been with Riverwood for nearly 16 years, dedicating his entire nursing career to serving patients in the Aitkin community. […]

    Riverwood receives Population Health Pioneer Award

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center was recognized as a winner of the 2025 Population Health Pioneer Awards, presented by Wellvana. Each year, health care organizations and provider partners are honored for their exemplary work and innovative approaches in value-based care to improve quality of care for their patients and community. As the Community of the Year recipient, […]

    Recognizing Occupational Therapy at Riverwood

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    We would like to take a moment celebrate how OT helps people of all ages improve their independence, function, and overall quality of life. Occupational therapy is more than just recovering from an injury. It’s about helping people do the things that matter most to them. Whether that means returning to work after an accident, […]

    Riverwood welcomes occupational therapist

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center welcomes Occupational Therapist Jordyn Asplin to its Therapy Services team in Aitkin. Asplin has two years of experience practicing at a large Level II hospital in Georgia. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy, both from The College of Saint Scholastica. She describes […]

    Riverwood announces patient access manager

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to announce the promotion of Stephanie Jacobs to patient access manager. In this role, Jacobs will oversee a team of 40 employees, managing admitting, scheduling, and registration. With nearly 30 years of health care experience in northern Minnesota, Jacobs brings extensive expertise to her new leadership position. In 2013, she […]

    Riverwood announces emergency department medical director

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jeff Ehnstrom as the new medical director of its emergency department. With 23 years of medical experience, Dr. Ehnstrom brings extensive expertise to this important role. As medical director, Dr. Ehnstrom oversees staffing, trauma patient chart reviews, and departmental decision-making in collaboration with the […]

    Sage program supports access to cancer screening

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    Screening for breast and cervical cancer is vital to detecting cancer early when treatment is easier. Access to these cancer screenings is made easier through a program called Sage. Sage helps low-income Minnesotans who do not have adequate insurance to access breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic services (if screening tests are abnormal) and referral […]

    Women’s health meetup to focus on weight loss

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center and the Beanery Café & Roastery in downtown Aitkin are partnering to present a program on women’s health and wellness. Hear from Dr. Joselito Burgos, internal medicine physician, on weight loss and health improvement strategies on March 20, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the Beanery. With more than 20 years of experience, […]

    Colon cancer prevention starts with screening

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    March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, a time to highlight the importance of early detection and preventative care. Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States, but it is also highly treatable when caught in its early stages. Regular screenings and healthy lifestyle choices play a critical role in reducing […]

    A Stitch of Kindness: Janet Larson’s Handmade Gift of Warmth

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    In the hustle of everyday life, it’s easy to overlook the little things we take for granted—warmth, comfort, and a personal touch. For Janet Larson, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at Riverwood Healthcare Center’s Behavioral Health clinic in Aitkin, these small gestures mean everything. For over a decade, Larson has been knitting hats for […]

    Riverwood Healthcare Center Recognized by Chartis as a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin, MN today announced it has been named among the 2025 Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. Chartis’ annual Top 100 award program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX®. “This recognition is […]

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    Three pharmacists join Riverwood team

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center has recently added three pharmacists at its Aitkin hospital, including Andrea Agre, Ryan Friesen and Hannah Stephenson. Andrea Agre had served as an inpatient clinical pharmacist for Riverwood before moving to the newly expanded surgery wing to staff the satellite pharmacy. Agre brings 17 years of experience in retail and critical access […]

    Food boxes program addresses hunger in Aitkin County

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center, with the help of the Aitkin Farmers Market Hub and Aitkin County Public Health, was awarded the Minnesota Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) grant by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). The LFPA program, launched in 2024, funds projects that buy local food, primarily from socially disadvantaged and emerging farmers, to distribute […]

    A survivor’s story: A miracle journey through SCAD

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    “On March 12, 2024, my life changed forever,” says Riverwood Healthcare Center patient Joanna Jackson of Aitkin. Jackson, her husband, daughter, and mother-in-law were on their way from Aitkin to Texas when they made a quick stop for coffee in Plymouth just north of Minneapolis. As she reached into the back seat to buckle her […]

    Lacey Jurek receives DAISY Award for outstanding nursing care

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    The latest recipient of Riverwood Healthcare Center’s prestigious DAISY Award for nursing excellence is Lacey Jurek, a registered nurse in the OB & Med/Surg departments. Jurek has been with Riverwood for 11 years, providing compassionate care to countless patients throughout her 13-year nursing career. Riverwood participates in the DAISY Award program, which honors nurses who […]

    Riverwood welcomes family physician to Aitkin clinic

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      Riverwood Healthcare Center is excited to welcome Dr. Robin Muller, family medicine physician, to its Aitkin clinic. Dr. Muller provides comprehensive primary care for patients of all ages, including obstetric services. In addition to the full spectrum of family medicine, Dr. Muller’s special interests include women’s health and obstetrics, opioid use disorder and buprenorphine […]

    Aitkin woman appreciates exceptional orthopaedic care

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    Wanda Graham, a resident of Aitkin, expresses heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding orthopaedic care she received at Riverwood Healthcare Center. Over the past year, she underwent four surgical procedures performed by two highly skilled orthopaedic surgeons, all conveniently close to home. Her journey began with Dr. Jeffrey Klassen, an orthopaedic surgeon fellowship-trained in shoulder and […]

    Riverwood welcomes physician assistant for Aitkin clinic

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to introduce Physician Assistant Erin Carey, who will see patients at its Aitkin clinic. In her role as physician assistant for primary care, Carey will see patients at all ages and life stages. Her special interests include gastrointestinal and dietary sensitivities, irritable bowel syndrome /colitis, allergies relating to food, animals […]

    Riverwood manager takes on broader role, duties

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to announce that Ryan Anderson has been promoted to Director of Information Systems and Patient Access. In this role, he will continue to manage the Patient Access department and will oversee the Information Technology (IT) Clinical Informatics team. He will eventually support all the managers within the IT department. Anderson […]

    Riverwood welcomes emergency medicine physician

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    Riverwood Healthcare Center is excited to welcome Lynn Stottler, MD, to its Emergency Department provider team. Dr. Stottler brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Riverwood, with a career spanning over 20 years in Family Medicine and more recently, full-time Emergency Medicine practice since 2018. Dr. Stottler earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, […]