Why We’re Coming Together
Sanford Health and North Memorial Health have agreed to come together as one nonprofit health system — so more people can get the care they need, closer to home, now and in the future.
Health care is getting more expensive and more complicated. Taking action now helps us keep 24/7 essential care available and affordable for everyone who needs it.
Together, we can respond faster when needs change, grow key services, bring in new technology, train and hire more caregivers and improve the patient experience in ways we couldn’t do alone.
Our Commitments
Together, we will invest in care to benefit patients across the region.
What This Means for Our Communities
For Patients & Families
We are committed to building on the care we already provide in Minnesota, giving patients more choice in where and how they receive care while connecting them to a broader network of providers, services and specialized expertise across the region. As one system, we will deliver more coordinated care so patients can access the right services at the right time through a seamless, connected experience.
For Employees & Teams
Our people are at the heart of this partnership. Team members will have access to expanded employee resources, new opportunities for research and collaboration, robust peer groups and enhanced professional development – driven by our shared commitment to supporting the teams who deliver care every day.
For Providers & Medical Staff
Our goal is to build a stronger, more connected system around you so you can get patients to the right place faster and keep more care close to home. Added resources and shared services will help to reduce operational strain and administrative burden, and investments we’re making in technology will further transform the care we’re able to provide as both employed and affiliate providers.
For Communities We Serve
Together, with a shared focus on rural and underserved communities, we will create a more integrated, equitable and regionally connected health system that strengthens locally driven care while meeting the evolving needs of our communities – today and for generations to come.
Emergency & Trauma Services
With diminishing resources across our state, as one system, our shared expertise in trauma care and emergency medical services will serve as the backbone of Minnesota’s EMS system, connecting patients across rural and urban communities to lifesaving care when and where they need it most.
Leadership & Governance
Post-closing, the single health system will remain a nonprofit charitable organization committed to improving the health of communities.
As a single organization, our work in the Twin Cities will continue to be led by North Memorial Health’s CEO Trevor Sawallish, with local executive and physician leadership and a local board of directors representing the broader community to provide oversight, including medical staff matters.
Local physician leadership will remain central, with representation in Sanford Health’s physician governance structure, ensuring clinicians have a strong voice in how care is delivered, guiding standards, care pathways and professional practice matters for the market.
Two North Memorial Health board members will join the Sanford Health Board of Trustees, the governing body of the combined system: Charlie Weaver, a seasoned executive, attorney and public policy leader who served for 20 years as executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership, and Reuben Moore, a longtime health care executive who currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Minnesota Community Care, one of the largest federally qualified health centers in the state. Sanford Health President and CEO Bill Gassen will continue to serve as president and chief executive officer of the combined organization.
The partnership is expected to close in 2026, subject to completion of regulatory processes and other customary closing conditions.