A report by the Minnesota Nurses Association suggests services will be cut and prices will rise if the merger goes through. Both health systems say they plan a "strategic investment" of $500 million.
It’s recommended all children receive 2 doses of measles-mumps-rubella, or MMR, vaccine, the first at ages 12-15 months and the second at 4-6 years old, to be fully protected against measles.
Respiratory syncytial virus, which continues spreading in the area, can cause serious breathing difficulties in very young children with tiny airways that can become obstructed.
Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office is investigating the proposed merger of the multibillion-dollar health systems based in South Dakota and Minnesota, said he wants to get a full picture of how it might affect Minnesota residents.
Sanford Health and Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services are pursuing a merger planned for completion by the end of 2023 that would combine the nation's largest rural health provider with a major Twin Cities health system.
Beyond the No. 4 overall ranking, Sanford Health specifically ranked No. 1 among nonprofit groups, best in health care and first for businesses headquartered in South Dakota.
