As Winston Churchill once said, “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” For the citizens of Deerwood, Wednesday, May 31st might have marked the start of easier access to healthcare as Essential Health officially opened its St. Joseph’s Deerwood Clinic.

“We’re showing off our new beautiful clinic and giving people a chance to see what we’ve done here,” said St. Joseph’s Deerwood Clinic Physician’s Assistant Kaley Gadbois.

This clinic has been seen as a long-time need for the Deerwood community, and after two years, the city has medical services right in its own backyard.

“We have been working on this project for well over two years,” explained Essentia Health Ambulatory Operations Vice President Sandy Zutz-Wiczek. “We see that there’s need and we wanna serve that community, a lot of planning goes into that.”

“Deerwood is trying to progress and move forward in a time when it’s tough,” said Deerwood Mayor John Taylor.

The grand opening of the clinic gave citizens a chance to get an inside look at the facility, as well as the many services it offers.

“Being able to share that with patients has been a real honor,” said Zutz-Wiczek.

Now with the ribbon cutting and official opening complete, the clinic can now serve as an asset to the community.

“We are really excited to be part of this community, to serve this community and to see patients on Monday.” said Zutz-Wiczek.

While the ribbon cutting ceremony provided the public a chance to explore the facility, the clinic itself will open on Monday, June 6th.

By — Justin Othoudt