If you’re experiencing symptoms possibly related to COVID-19, another illness or an injury, where do you go? This is an important question, especially now in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Whether you choose our same day clinic, primary care clinic or emergency room, each offers different treatment options as well as price points, which […]

At Riverwood Healthcare Center, we continue to be grateful for our patients and staff. Here we share our reasons why. The heart of Riverwood lies within our patients and staff. During this pandemic staff and patients have shown resilience, remarkable collaboration, innovation and a sense of community as we all come together to provide compassion […]

In mid-December, Riverwood Healthcare Center began providing 3D mammography exams at its McGregor clinic. “We are thrilled to provide 3D mammography to our community,” said Dr. Aaron Jordan, family physician at Riverwood’s McGregor clinic. “It can help detect cancer earlier because it offers multiple images of breast tissue for greater clarity and accuracy. There’s also […]

The Riverwood Healthcare Center Governing Board of Directors has selected Ken Westman as chief executive officer with an anticipated start date of Feb. 14, 2022. Westman is an experienced and accomplished health care executive with 25 years of successful and progressive experience with people, culture, and sustainability for health care institutions. For the past 10 […]

Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to introduce Andrew Van Santen as the new manager of its hospital emergency department. Van Santen began his nursing career 20 years ago in Crosby, first working at a long-term care center and then transitioning to hospital nursing and caring for medical/surgical patients. He worked as a registered nurse in […]

The Nistler family is featured in Riverwood Foundation’s annual year-end appeal letter that is inviting donations to support our Birthing Center.  Make your gift at riverwoodhealthcare.org via the GIVE NOW link. Shirley and her husband Terry Nistler didn’t realize she would be starting a family tradition when she chose where to give birth to her […]

Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to introduce two new members of the oncology care team for cancer patients. They include Nurse Practitioner Jenny Diederich and Oncology Care Coordinator Katie Gunderson. “We are pleased to welcome Jenny and Katie to our oncology team,” said Dan Schletty, director of ambulatory services at Riverwood. “They both bring excellent […]

On Nov. 4, Riverwood Healthcare Center honored 59 employees and retirees who have celebrated milestone anniversaries or retirement in 2020 and 2021 at a special dinner at the Arrowwood Lodge in Brainerd. Their collective years of service, ranging from 10 to 40, totals 998! Cindi Baker, interim CEO for Riverwood, expressed gratitude for all that […]

On Nov. 2, the Comprehensive Advanced Life Support (CALS) program recognized Riverwood Healthcare Center for its CALS Hospital designation with a recertification certificate. “Riverwood first received this designation in 2008 and has long recognized the value excellence in emergency medicine education,” said David Taylor, emergency physician and chief medical officer at Riverwood. “We are pleased […]

Nurses at Riverwood Healthcare Center are being honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s program to recognize the super-human efforts nurses perform every day. The first DAISY Team award recipient is Rose Appel, a licensed practical nurse who has cared for Riverwood hospital patients for more […]

Riverwood Healthcare Center is pleased to welcome Joel Madson, a third-year medical student at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, who is participating in the Rural Physician Associate Program (RPAP). Through the RPAP program, a third-year medical student lives in a rural community for nine months and participates in rotations of hospital and clinic […]

September is recognized as National Suicide Prevention Month.  The goal is to bring more awareness to the issues that surround suicide and break down barriers for people to seek support.  Raising awareness about mental health needs and resources that are readily available is an everyday necessity for our community.  With this in mind, Riverwood Healthcare […]

Recently, Riverwood Healthcare Center achieved recertification for its designation as an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital from the Minnesota Department of Health. The recertification period covers July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024; the initial designation was awarded to Riverwood in 2015. In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature authorized the Minnesota Department of Health to designate hospitals […]

The Riverwood Healthcare Center Board of Directors has approved moving ahead with two major capital projects that will enhance care for patients well into the future. Surgery wing addition The hospital’s surgery department, constructed in 2002 when a new hospital and clinic facility was built on Bunker Hill Drive, is in need of updating and […]

This article by Dr. Jennifer Tessmer-Tuck, OBGYN, was published in the Aitkin Independent Age on Aug. 25, 2021. Whether it’s pregnancy care, a preventative screening such as a pap smear or breast exam, or a specialty care need such as a menstrual or menopausal concern, Riverwood Healthcare Center’s obstetric and gynecologic clinicians are experts in […]