Sanford, North Memorial Health Announce Plans to Merge Health Systems

May 14, 2026

On May 8, Sanford Health, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and North Memorial Health announced that they have agreed to merge as a single nonprofit health system. 

The partnership is expected to close this year, subject to completion of regulatory processes. Sanford has made attempts to join the Twin Cities market in the past – trying to merge twice before with Fairview Health Services. 

On a website created to provide information on the merger, the partnership laid out a series of commitments for the merger including: 

• Strengthening and expanding care through a $600 million investment across the Twin Cities region to address critical needs at North’s Robbinsdale and Maple Grove hospitals. 
• Updating and sustaining Level 1 trauma and emergency services at North Memorial Health – Robbinsdale Hospital. 
• Doubling the size of North Memorial Health – Maple Grove Hospital, growing Minnesota’s largest birth center, expanding emergency care and adding inpatient and surgical capacity, while improving access to cardiology and interventional radiology to meet rising demand. 

Twin Cities operations will be led by North Memorial Health’s CEO Trevor Sawallish.