The leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society and Sanford Health are planning to combine their organizations on Nov. 1 now that the affiliation has cleared regulatory hurdles without objection, they announced Friday.

Executives previously had said they expected to finalize the affiliation by Jan. 1.

“For several months we’ve talked about the advantages of bringing Society professionals together with the healthcare experts at Sanford Health,” Good Samaritan President and CEO David J. Horazdovsky said. “This clears a major hurdle in advancing the care for those we serve.”

The Good Samaritan membership — primarily current executives and location administrators and executive directors/managers — voted overwhelming in favor of revising the organization’s articles of incorporation, clearing the way for an affiliation agreement with Sanford Health to be signed June 26. The organizations’ boards had approved the affiliation agreement before that vote.

The merger of one of the country’s largest senior living and care organizations with one of the country’s largest healthcare systems, both headquartered in Sioux Falls, SD, will result in an organization with approximately 47,000 employees in 26 states.

“We feel strongly that this visionary plan will be modeled throughout the United States to offer a continuum of care throughout one’s life,” Sanford Health President and CEO Kelby Krabbenhoft said. “Having no objections during the government’s regulatory review confirms our beliefs. We’re excited to move forward.”