Dakotas hospitals: Merger will not mean layoffs

MeritCare of Fargo and Sanford Health of Sioux Falls, SD, plan to serve about 2 million people in five Midwestern states under a planned merger. Leaders of the hospitals faced the general public on for the first time since merger talks began nearly five months ago and repeated promises that no workers would lose their jobs and no services would be cut. They added that the merger should help both hospitals recruit more doctors to the area, including some of the smaller satellite clinics.