The University of Minnesota announced plans to create a not-for-profit health care organization in collaboration with Essentia Health in January, aiming to address rising costs, structural inequities and limited care access to benefit health care for “all Minnesotans.”

While a merger between organizations may seem insignificant to those outside the health care realm, this is one to pay attention to.

As this collaboration progresses, it is important for students and the University community to be aware of the potential impacts it could have on reproductive health care and training and demand transparency from the University.

Duluth-based Essentia Health has several Catholic facilities and a Catholic mission supporting its general mission and values. Essentia Health does not offer “elective reproductive procedures” at its Catholic facilities.

As you may imagine, Essentia Health’s connection to the Catholic faith raised concerns throughout the University community.

The entity created by this collaboration will continue “the University’s current practices and policies regarding women’s and other health issues,” according to a FAQ page.

“We envision that the new entity will continue to respect community choices, while at the same time, honoring our University values regarding the delivery of women’s health and reproductive care and other health care throughout the rest of the entity, including how physicians and other professionals are taught and trained at the University,” the statement said.

Clarification, further transparency and commitment to this statement are essential and deserve attention from the University community. The University must also clarify what these values are and address current barriers to reproductive care.

Riley Hetland, the University’s Undergraduate Student Government president-elect, said the lack of transparency and student consultation in the merger process so far is frustrating.

“A lot of what’s been going on has been kind of out of the public eye and out of the student eye,” Hetland said. “A lot of decisions are being made at the university level that haven’t been looping in key stakeholders, like women’s groups, like students, and it’s sort of frustrating to see.”

About 10% of student respondents to a USG fall survey reported struggling to access emergency contraceptives, birth control and other forms of reproductive care.

This statistic is concerning on its own, let alone heading into a merger that could potentially limit access to this care even more, Hetland added. It will be critical to see an indication from the University that they are prioritizing reproductive needs.

Grace Marchand, co-president of the University’s Students for Reproductive Freedom club, said the partnership can seem concerning for students relying on reproductive services because Essentia Health provides limited access to sterilization and abortion, even in life-threatening circumstances.

“I would advise students to just keep an eye on it and keep the University accountable for the promises they make with this merger,” Marchand said.

SFRF, which partners with Planned Parenthood, works to promote campus engagement and inform students on reproductive rights and the resources available.

“If there are concerns that arise in changes in language being used or standards being set for students on the U, I really think that we need to, as a University, make a lot of noise when those concerns come up,” Marchand said.

The impact this collaboration could have on the training of future health care professionals is also significant. The University trains more than 70% of Minnesota’s health care professionals and is a leading U.S. research university, making its commitment to protecting reproductive health care vital for state and national health care access.

Minnesota is also among the states that took actions to protect abortion access following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022. The decision ended the constitutional right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade and triggered abortion bans in states across the U.S.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed the state’s statutory right to abortion into law Jan. 31, 2023, making it the first state to protect abortion via legislation following the Dobbs decision, according to MinnPost.

Minnesota’s role in protecting reproductive health care makes the uncertainty of future access at the University even more troubling. 

“Students are saying that they’re not able to access reproductive health care that meets their needs,” Hetland said. “It shouldn’t be a problem anyone is facing anywhere, but especially here in Minnesota.”

Hetland added that the University needs to be transparent about how students’ money is being used for this merger and how this will impact funding across the University. 

If access to reproductive care is limited following this partnership, this situation would not be unique. Access to reproductive care has been restricted in several blue states following mergers with Catholic health care systems, Mother Jones reported.

Whether it be through a club, advocacy group or student government position, it is important for students to voice concerns about this collaboration and access reproductive care in general, Marchand said.

While the details and timeline of this collaboration are unclear, it will impact students. It’s our responsibility to stay informed and hold the University accountable to ensure this impact is positive. 

“If something’s wrong, let us know at USG,” Hetland said. “Keep raising these questions, and keep an eye on what’s going on with the merger and stay educated.” 

As students who rely on the University’s resources and residents who rely on Minnesota’s health care, we must call for transparency from the University.