Our View: Some mergers make good sense

Generally, we don’t like corporate mergers. In fact, this very paper came about after many papers merged into a big media corporation, and we eventually lost a truly “local” news option.

Fortunately, we won’t have to worry about losing the local option for health care. We applaud the merger of the Raiter Clinic with Community Memorial Hospital, which are officially banding together next year to compete against Essentia as it moves into town. By becoming one, the Raiter Clinic and CMH will be able to continue to provide a local option for quality health care, and will be more likely to withstand the Duluth-based Essentia Health’s stronghold on regional health care.

Certainly, competition is good, and we welcome Essentia to town. But local health care will be a little better when the two long-standing local health care providers came together to make sure we continue to have local control and local options. It means residents will have the choice of getting their needs met within the huge Essentia system, as many already do now, or getting their health care from a local organization such as CMH that often will direct its patients to appropriate specialists even if they are outside the hospital’s system.

Many people already thought the Raiter Clinic was part of CMH, but that’s only because the two organizations have collaborated so well all these years, as both are totally committed to quality local health care. Now, as one organization, they will be better equipped to do so in the future. We are happy for them both, and for the local health care market.

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