Sanford Health & Good Samaritan Society To Combine Organizations

There will be a new look to Sanford Health beginning January 1, 2019 when it combines its services with the Good Samaritan Society.

According to Sanford Health, the journey to bring The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society and Sanford together as a combined enterprise has cleared a major milestone. The Society Membership has overwhelmingly voted to approve the Restated Articles of Incorporation resulting in both organizations being able to sign the new Affiliation Agreement combining the two organizations as one, pending completion of the regulatory review process.

The Membership is made up of mostly current Society executives and location administrators and executive directors/managers, with a number of former Society employees who have remained in the Membership.

The Society has 19,000 employees in 24 states providing senior care services, while Sanford has 28,000 employees in nine states offering clinic, hospital and health insurance services. Both are headquartered in Sioux Falls.

The two not-for-profit organizations have spent considerable time seeking to discover ways to better serve communities. Sanford and Society leaders found each organization wants a more integrated, community-based health system with the opportunity to serve and care for individuals through the entire span of life.

“Our Membership affirms what we believed at the onset of our discussions with Sanford,” said David J. Horazdovsky, president and CEO of the Good Samaritan Society. “By bringing the expertise of the professionals at the Society together with the health care experts at Sanford, not only will there be benefits for those we serve but also the organizations are stronger together.”

“This forward-thinking plan will become a national model to serve communities with exceptional care and value through the full spectrum of one’s life,” said Kelby Krabbenhoft, president and CEO of Sanford. “Leaders at the Good Samaritan Society should be commended for their visionary strategies in joining with Sanford to create this cutting-edge opportunity.”

Each organization’s governing board has previously approved the affiliation. The Membership vote clears the way to begin the regulatory review process. The goal is to bring the organizations together by Jan. 1, 2019.