North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has approved the merger of Bismarck’s MedCenter One with Fargo and Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health Systems.
By state law, the Attorney General has to review a merger of this kind. In a letter to Med Center One legal counsel John Olson – dated July 3rd -- Stenehjem said based upon his review – quoting now – “there is no legal basis for this office to object to the proposed transaction.” Stenehjem has been reviewing the merger since the end of May. The two health systems say the formal merger announcement will come July 12th.
MedCenter One will be re-named Sanford Medical Center– Bismarck. .
MedCenterOne is the largest private employer in Bismarck– and besides the hospital facility, has a number of clinics throughout western and central North Dakota. Sanford Health has 34 hospitals and 116 clinics.
