Hospital merger to end MeritCare name
June 11, 2010 at 4:52 am in INFORUM
Get ready to say goodbye to the MeritCare name in health care.
The brand, which was born with the merger of St. Luke’s Hospitals and Fargo Clinic in 1993, is slated to retire next month.
The reason, of course, is another corporate marriage, last year’s merger between Fargo-based MeritCare and Sanford Health, based in Sioux Falls, S.D. Continue reading…

When are they going to build the new corporate headquarters office building in downtown Fargo,as they said they were going to do? Now plans of building another $350 million dollar Taj Ma Hal hospital in SW Fargo. When will the building stop and prices go down? Fargo, Moorhead could no support four hospitals in the past; so St.Johns and Moorhead”s’ St. Ansgards had to close down. Now Merit Care, Opps! Sanford, will have three hospital in Fargo, plus Innovis and the VA Hospital. I do not think this will last to long, one of them will have to go in the future. I have lived in Fargo for 62 years and I will still call Merit Care,
“SAINT lUKE’S HOSPITAL” Those days hospitality, was still in the word hospital. When hospitals treated you first and then asked for money or insurance. It’s GREED now, just like what caused the oil spill by BP, cutting corners! Hospitals are cutting staff and nurses hours yet more work, no quality raises, and then overcharging Medicare and Medicaid and All OF US…I suppose Sanford, will want to drop North from North Dakota also.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Well I believe I seen a story of nurses down in the MPLS area striking or planing a strike. I usually dont agree with unions or strikes but sometimes the bottom needs to let the top know who is holding them up. Sanford has come in and rolled over the MeritCare system, and its workers. This was no merger this was a take over. As a employee of the new system I am currently searching for a new job. I have heard rumor of a 5% raise. However when you consider that we just had a pay freeze last year and did not recieve a raise and that we now have to put in 5% to get them to match 5% for retirement I dont actually see it as a raise. If you decide NOT to contribute to the pension plan at most it is a 2.5% raise when you figure they gave nothing last year. If you do decide to try and keep putting in on your pension it is actually not a raise at all. As we have to put in for what MeritCare was automatically putting in. Sorry but I do not see how a gigantic medical organization is better for workers or patients. They roll patients through like a cattle herd and try to short change there employees every chance they get. I hear a lot of “well since the merger we have to now cut this benifit out or drastically change it” and never for the better mind you. Its also funny how they will have all this money to build a new fitness center in south fargo and change all the signage on the Meritcare facilities and vehicles. However we dont have enough to provide good insurance (not sanfords cheap flimsy plan), keep the MeritCare pension plan or give a decent raise every year. Innovis I will be watching your help wanted section. As a patient I am going to be searching as well.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Since the merger, quality has suffered at Meritcare. I have had personal experiences to back this. We are seriously thinking about moving our medical care over to Innovis because if it.
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