Sanford Health finalizes merger with North Memorial Health

(FOX 9) - Sanford Health has finalized its merger with North Memorial Health, the Minnesota healthcare system that oversees Robbinsdale Hospital.

Sanford Health completes merger

What we know:

On Tuesday, South Dakota-based Sanford Health completed its merger with North Memorial Health. The organizations are now one combined healthcare system.

The completion comes after Attorney General Keith Ellison laid out a ten-year oversight agreement last week for the merger.

Dig deeper:

The agreement also included the following commitments:

• Honor all collective-bargaining agreements and retain employees in good standing
• Not materially reduce current service lines at Minnesota locations
• Maintain charity care and participation in Medicare and Medicaid
• Maintain existing levels of air and ground emergency transportation service in Minnesota
• Maintain and enhance existing behavioral and mental-health services
• Not reduce scope of existing reproductive and gender-affirming care

New investments coming to MN

By the numbers:

Sanford Health says the new organization will now make $600 million in investments in Minnesota, including $500 million to expand Maple Grove Hospital and $100 million to modernize Robbinsdale Hospital. The investments were also announced as part of the agreement with the AG's office.

The new combined healthcare system says it has 61,000 workers and serves 2.5 million patients and nearly 415,000 health plan members across 60 hospitals in the Upper Midwest.

What's next:

As part of the agreement, the new organization also promised to continue certain core services at Robbinsdale Hospital for the ten-year cycle, including maintaining its level-one trauma center.

Advocates laud merger

What they're saying:

Last week, unions and advocacy groups hailed the merger agreement as an "important victory."

A joint statement from a group of labor, faith, and community groups read:

"Too often, hospital mergers result in service cuts, facility closures, and staffing layoffs, which ultimately lead to patients facing even higher medical bills or losing access to care altogether. This commitment also comes at a time when Minnesotans’ healthcare is under significant threat as massive healthcare funding cuts made by federal elected officials through HR1 begin to take effect next year."

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