Minnesota AG Ellison schedules public meetings for proposed Sanford-Fairview merger

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has scheduled four public meetings for January about the proposed mega-merger of hospital operators Sanford and Fairview.

The first is set for Jan. 10 in St. Paul followed by meetings in Bemidji and Worthington — where Sanford now runs hospitals — and Grand Rapids, where Fairview has operations.

Most Fairview hospitals and clinics are concentrated in and around the Twin Cities metro area, including the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis.

"It's my job to listen to Minnesotans: Many have already responded to my request for comment about the proposed Fairview/Sanford merger, and I want to hear from more," Ellison said in a news release about the meetings. "I hope everyone who has thoughts, comments, or concerns to share about the merger will attend a public meeting or leave us a comment."

In November, South Dakota-based Sanford Health and Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services announced plans to combine and create a sprawling nonprofit health system with about 78,000 employees and more than 50 hospitals across the Upper Midwest.

Ellison is investigating potential anti-competitive aspects of the deal and whether it would comply with Minnesota law on use of nonprofit assets — reviews that are standard with a merger of this size, he said.

Previously, Ellison launched a dedicated web form for comments and concerns. His office said Monday the form is also linked on a new Fairview/Sanford landing page at www.ag.state.mn.us/sanford-fairview.

Minnesotans may phone and leave voice mail comments in a dedicated mailbox by calling (651) 296-3353 in the metro area or (800) 657-3787 in greater Minnesota and pressing option 2, the attorney general said. Or residents may speak to an analyst live by calling the same numbers and pressing option 1.

All the community meetings will also be live-streamed on the attorney general's Facebook page.

The meeting in St. Paul is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 10, 6-8 p.m. at the state Department of Revenue, Room 2000. The building is at 600 Robert St. N. in St. Paul.