Merging Sanford and Fairview is a stupid idea

Ken Powell — the former CEO of food giant General Mills and chairman of the board of trustees of the University of Minnesota — urged Sanford Health and Fairview Health Services to slow down their proposed merger. star tribune reported.

He echoed Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who called for a slowdown in January. The controversial merger between Sioux Falls, Sanford of South Dakota, and Fairview of Minneapolis proved particularly contentious with the University of Minnesota, whose flagship hospital was acquired by Fairview in 1997. The merger agreement runs until 2026, which Sanford and Fairview said leaves plenty of time to work out details with the university once the merger closes.

State legislators, university staff and students, unionized nurses, and now Mr. Powell have spoken out against this fast pace.

During a Feb. 10 board meeting in Minneapolis, Mr. Powell said Sanford and Fairview began negotiating their current proposal in May, but did not include the university or share their letter of intent with university representatives until September.

“It was already a fait accompli by then,” Mr. Powell said. “Without taking any part in its creation and being denied their call for time to evaluate it, all these three university board members could do was vote no. As you know, Fairview continued without us.”

“Given what we know—or rather, what we don’t know—about [letter of intent]it would be a stupid idea to approve the merger and rely on the hope that after that the merger will slow down for the university and the public interest, ”he continued.

Mr. Powell called on the two organizations to publicly support the university’s five-point plan, which would allow the university to regain control of the University of Minnesota Medical Center and eventually build a new hospital.

“Having spent my career creating complex combinations of businesses, I can tell you that if you rush, you will regret it,” Mr. Powell said. “If you try to move forward without involving your key partners, you will fail. Here, if this merger continues without recognizing and securing the University’s central role in Minnesota’s public health, the people who depend on us will suffer.”