Fairview Health Services and Sanford Health announced on Monday they are extending the delay of their planned merger through the summer. 

Fairview and Sanford already extended the process once, when they announced in February they would delay until May 31. 

Fairview and Sanford originally announced their intent to merge in November 2022 and planned to close the deal by March 31. 

Ellison did not request the second delay, according to the Star Tribune. 

Ellison’s office did request to be given a 90-day notice in advance of closing the merger to ensure his office had enough time to complete their investigation of the merger, which has been ongoing since November 2022. If the merger goes through, Sanford would become one of the largest health systems in the Upper Midwest, so Ellison’s office is investigating potential antitrust violations.  

Many University medical students have vocally opposed the merger, citing concerns about the future availability of reproductive health care, including abortions, since Sanford is a South Dakota-based company. South Dakota has restricted abortion care following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. 

In March, the University stated it was opposed to the merger due to concerns about Sanford being an out-of-state company, as the health facilities on campus are currently owned by Fairview.

Additionally, the University announced in January a plan to reacquire the health facilities on campus as part of their MPact Healthcare Innovation Plan.