Home Health & Hospice Week

Plus: Another county agency looks likely to close in Hawkeye State.

A seven-state chain owned by the company that formerly owned The Washington Post is buying an Illinois hospice provider.

Troy, Mich.-based Residential Hospice, owned by Graham Holdings Co.’s healthcare subsidiary, has acquired Springfield, Ill.-based Safe Haven Hospice from St. Louis-based Christian Horizons, the companies say in a release. The acquisition “expands the footprint of Residential Hospice into Central Illinois serving the counties of Cass, Lenard, Macon, and Menard,” it says.

Residential, which also has a home health business line, operates in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Kansas, and Missouri, it says. Graham Healthcare Group companies also include Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Healthcare@Home and Mary Free Bed at Home, the release says.

Other recent deals include:

In Massachusetts: Northampton-based Best of Care Inc. has acquired Barton’s Angels, headquartered in the same town, for undisclosed terms, Best says in a release. Best furnishes home care services to more than 1,500 clients weekly, it says. The Barton’s acquisition should add 60 caregivers and 120 clients, according to the release.

In Iowa: The Lee County Health Department is con­sidering shuttering its hospice and home health agency, reports the Daily Democrat newspaper in Ft. Madison. Thanks in part to budget cuts handed down from the state, the county is looking to cut any services that are also offered by the private sector. The county-based agency has lost half a million dollars in the last two years, County Supervisors complained in a Dec. 11 meeting.

In Texas: Tyler-based Choice Health at Home has acquired Colorado-based Lumicare Hospice, the private equity-backed chain says in a release. “The addition of this business represents Choice’s entry into the state of Colorado and complements existing services in both Texas and Arizona,” it adds. Choice partnered with Trive Capital and Coltala Holdings in 2020, the seven-state chain says.

In Virginia: Mechanicsville retirement home Covenant Woods is shutting down its Advance Care Home Health and Hospice business and laying off more than 50 employees, reports WTVR News. Covenant Woods acquired the business nearly four years ago, the news station says. The closure comes despite the agency bringing in $4 million in revenues on $3.9 million in costs, Richmond BizSense reports.

In Illinois: Chicago-based Help at Home may be going on the auction block. Private equity parents Center­bridge Partners and the Vistria Group are considering options including a possible sale, according to press reports. The sale could be valued around the $3 billion mark, the reports suggest.