FAQs

The new initiative aligns with the University’s systemwide strategic plan, UMN Health, which outlines the institution’s commitment to develop and embrace new and leading health care delivery models and cutting-edge discoveries and technologies based on health science research.

Starting over a decade ago, U of M planners began work to ensure that the University’s health care infrastructure could support evolving technology and increased patient demand. The Clinics and Surgery Center and the Health Sciences Education Center, which were part of this plan, are now completed and in service. Also part of this plan was a new academic hospital that could support technological advances, serve more patients, facilitate clinical research, and have space for interprofessional training and practice. The University has acquired land on the East Bank for this facility.

The November 2022 announcement of the proposed Fairview-Sanford merger prompted the need for a full conversation about how the state of Minnesota, the University and health care providers can - and should - place the well-being of Minnesotans at the core of upcoming decisions. This vision was publicly announced on January 12, 2023.

The health care needs of Minnesota are expected to dramatically increase over the next 20 years, in part due to our aging population. Our current facilities are already being strained to capacity, and hospitals take years to plan, build and put into service. Therefore, one goal is to create a hospital that can offer more types of care in one place, ensure more patients are served, and support streamlined education and research programs. In the interim, the University seeks support to reacquire the flagship hospitals and clinics on our Twin Cities campus because these facilities are tied to the public health mission of the University.

The current East Bank hospital is 36 years old. While it is serviceable, it cannot support the innovative technology, research, care and training we will need to provide in the future. We must plan now to have a hospital in place when it is needed to replace the existing facilities.

No, our agreement with Fairview extends through 2026. We intend to continue delivering outstanding care to our patients through this partnership, while expanding collaborations to all interested health systems in the state. In this way, we can fulfill our fundamental mission of improving the health of all Minnesotans.

• First, Minnesota—and its world-class research University—are economic accelerators. As a result, our state has one of the fastest growing state economies in the country. We can support continued investment in our state by continually offering the very best health care services for employees and customers.
• Second, a University-operated hospital and clinic system on the Twin Cities campus would “bridge” from the present to the future. It would ensure the best care—highly complex and otherwise—for Minnesotans today, while positioning us for successful affiliations with all of our partners statewide and the eventual long-term success of a new hospital.

Fairview acquired the University Medical Center hospital in 1997 based on the health care industry of 30 years ago and the financial stability Fairview could provide. Today, the University is well positioned to take full advantage of the maturity of our research, innovation and discovery in health and wellness, and to accept the risk and investment that is unique to effectively operating a hospital and clinics in which research, innovation, and education are its core differentiators. You can read more details about the state’s teaching hospitals’ history here.