St. Joseph's Medical Center is an affiliate of the Brainerd Lakes Health system, which is a member of Essentia Health in Duluth, Minnesota. It is sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters. St. Joseph's Medical Center's Benedictine heritage dates back to 1897 when Doctors James Leaworthy Camp and John Thabes Sr. solicited the Diocese of Duluth for a "few sisters to come to Brainerd and manage the Camp Hospital."

The original Camp Hospital consisted of twelve beds to accommodate injured or ill lumberjacks. The lumber industry was booming and men from every nationality came to the area to harvest the great white pines that covered much of northern and central Minnesota. Unfortunately, the working and living conditions in the lumber camps were less than adequate. Many men were hurt due to unsafe methods used in harvesting the trees, or if not injured became sick with respiratory disorders and other infectious illnesses because of over-crowded living quarters.

Dr. Camp eventually purchased property on the east bank of the Mississippi River. This is the site where St. Joseph's Medical Center stands today.

In 1901 Dr. Camp sold the Camp Hospital to the sisters who renamed it St. Joseph's Hospital. Owning the hospital allowed the sisters to fulfill the commission of St. Benedict: "to serve the sick as if they are Christ."

Today the staff of St. Joseph's remains true to that legacy by adhering to the Benedictine values: